B
Minnesota Vikings
McCarthy is the Vikings' new face under center. Grade: B.
by Keefgonnafly ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The search is over. The Vikings handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. If one pick saves this weekend, it is McCaffrey.
The Cooper pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with safety, tight end and other spots still on the board. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through safety.
Every board in the league had McCarthy lower, and that gap is the story.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get their guy under center for the next decade, even if it was a touch early. The biggest hole, addressed.
The board had cheaper options than Payton Wilson at the 35th pick, and it noticed. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Edgerrin Cooper adds a linebacker and leaves safety, tight end and other spots untouched.
Khyree Jackson at the 71st overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Trey Benson at pick 94 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending No. 107 on Maason Smith with safety, tight end and other spots unsolved.
Isaac Guerendo at pick No. 123 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nice patience on Javon Foster, who had no business lasting to Round 4, Pick 32. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach on Brennan Jackson in the 138th pick; the board had better options right there. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Trevor Keegan in pick 156, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, Kamal Hadden went about where he belonged in No. 161. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They liked Layden Robinson enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 166. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Ty'Ron Hopper in the 176th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Steal is underselling it; Luke McCaffrey at pick No. 187 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The roster fit checks out.
Julian Pearl at the Round 7 slot is money in the bank, a OT-EDGE taken below his worth. A pick in search of a role on this roster.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Myles Cole in Round 7, Pick 6. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Trevin Wallace. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.