B
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings robbed the room for Smith. Final grade: B.
by Zach69 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Brashard Smith had no business being available in the Round 6 slot, and the Vikings did the only sane thing and turned in the card. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse. They chose more darts over a bigger single swing.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
They read the board right and Malaki Starks was the payoff at No. 28. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Jordan James in Round 3, Pick 33 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
Jake Majors at the 150th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Smael Mondon Jr. at the 185th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
No edge and no loss on Miles Frazier in pick No. 209; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board fumbled Brashard Smith all the way to the Round 6 slot, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tidy bit of business in slot 238, where Jake Briningstool graded well above the range. The roster fit checks out.
Value with a capital V on Sai'vion Jones in pick 243, a genuine coup. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.