B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings bet the future on Maye. The board says B+.
by TraderRick ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
The Vikings spent the pick that matters most on Drake Maye, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. 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 Oladapo.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through running back.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 5 they get their quarterback of the future. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A tidy little value on Chris Braswell in the 45th overall pick, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Christian Haynes in pick No. 69. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had DeWayne Carter higher than the Round 4 slot, and the interior defensive lineman fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.
Nothing to complain about; James Williams went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jaylin Simpson slid further than he should have, and the 150th pick is lovely value for the cornerback. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Walter Rouse in pick 167. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Kitan Oladapo still on the board at Round 6, Pick 2. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Isaiah Williams is a better player than the 195th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
JD Bertrand at No. 232 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.