B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Clark fall into their laps, and walked away with a B+.
by dschully ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody in slot 230 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Vikings sat still while De'Corian Clark, the No. 195 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. With running back unsolved, spending premium capital on OLB-EDGE is the choice that costs them. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, Dallas Turner at slot 16 squarely in line with his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No edge and no loss on Byron Murphy II in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Cooper Beebe in pick No. 78 is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A want over a need in No. 108: Javon Solomon adds an OLB-EDGE while running back keeps waiting.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jordan Travis. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nehemiah Pritchett is a better player than the 154th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Value with a capital V on Edefuan Ulofoshio in Round 5, Pick 24, a genuine coup. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A quiet steal in the 166th overall pick: Chau Smith-Wade for less than the market said. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They took Josh Proctor at par in Round 6, Pick 4, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Ethan Driskell in slot 183, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Erick All in the Round 6 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
You do not let a wide receiver like De'Corian Clark reach the 230th overall pick and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.