B+
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback settled, McCarthy in the fold, and a B+ for the Vikings.
by orayZT11 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The search is over. The Vikings handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development. The bottom line is a respectable B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Flournoy.
They will need McCarthy to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. Leaving tight end unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid a round early for J.J. McCarthy in pick 13, more than the board wanted. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner. More want than need.
Audric Estime at pick No. 108 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They read the board right and Sataoa Laumea was the payoff at Round 4, Pick 29. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Xavier Thomas at the 157th pick squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Ty'Ron Hopper in No. 177 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Ryan Flournoy at slot 230 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Dominique Hampton in the 232nd overall pick, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.