Minnesota Vikings 2024 Draft Grade | PFF 

Firstly, the Vikes did exactly what you guys endorse - draft high value positions - QB, Edge (and CB) and the purpose of the draft is to improve your roster as much as possible. Potentially upgrading 2 positions, each by 20-30 PFF grade points could be more valuable than improving 6 starters by 5 points each. In essence the Vikes replaced a 36 yo QB and 30 yo Edge with two 21 year olds which arguably saved about $50-80m in cap space over 2024-25 and made the roster 24 years younger!!

Without context it’s a B+ grade, but within context it’s an A+.

Plus the vikes kept their first round for next year! that's crazy to get both players and keep your first next year

About 80% of both expert mock draft and simulations had Dallas Turner going to ATL at pick #8. For Minnesota to get JJ and Turner is insane. Kwesi was playing 3 dimensional chess on draft day !

Turner was the consensus BEST DEFENDER in the draft. The Vikings gave up more than is usual to move up from 23 to 17, but if he's that BEST DEFENDER in the draft what the Vikings gave up was very well worth it.

Vikings Crushed it!

If there is ANYONE that you trade up for in these drafts its an SEC DPOY

Dallas Turner ran a faster forty than Jordan Addison...that's terrifying

Another factor to bear in mind about the Vikings giving up a bunch of mid-round picks for Turner is the Vikings current roster construction which is made up of a large number of solid players but few stars, especially on defense. The Vikings defense doesn't need more solid players, it needs true difference-makers and that is what Turner can be.

Pretty sure Patriots would take McCarthy, Dallas Turner and next year’s Vikings first instead of Maye if they had their time back. Vikings played their hand perfectly.

Vikings did well. They didn’t need to trade the farm to move up in the top 5, JJMc fell to 10 AND got Dallas turner, the top D prospect in the entire draft at 17. Crazy

Very thankful they didn't do that trade to get to #3.

Will Anderson cost two 1st round picks, a 2nd which was #33 overall, basically a 1st, and a 3rd rounder as well. Turner cost the Vikings a #1, a 5, a 3, and a 4. Turner and Anderson came from the same college, same age, same production but Turner has much better athleticism. Vikings gave up far less and got more.

so refreshing to hear the talking football heads speak positively about the Vikings.

The trade to get to 10 was to fend off the Broncos and Raiders

3rd Rd comp pick. Plus a tampering pick from Atlanta. Plus can target key free agents with salary cap dollars.

Vikings got the offensive and defensive ROY for those trades. I don't think they will be thinking about those 4th round picks after the season

To hell with the models. KAM saw an opportunity to get the best defensive player in the draft and they took it. It really was that simple. KAM wanted a difference maker.

So.. all the "Genius" teams with GREAT records of picking QB's - the Giants, Pats and Atlanta didn't think much of JJ? That is a HUGE POSITIVE endorsement of JJ and proves that Vikes CRUSHED It!!!

The Vikings have been drafting 10-12 players the past three years time to cash in picks for quality

Dallas Turner was the top defensive player this entire draft, if he’s anywhere like Danielle hunter was, then he 100% is worth whatever the fee was.

Bro no one cares about 4 and 5 round picks for turner lol

I really appreciate this video. This is the first Vikings draft analysis I've seen or read, outside of Vikings-centered media, that completed a thorough breakdown of the draft and UDFA class. The Turner trade looks like a lot, but when Kwesi didn't have to sell the farm to get to 3, or 5 to get JJM, the guy they thought was the best defensive player in the draft was still on the board? I appreciate your take on looking at the first round of the draft as a whole. To come away from the draft with JJM and Turner, keep next year's first-rounder, for a bunch of mid-round picks? All while having massive cap flexibility going into the 2025 season, they scored two fourth-round graded players as UDFA's? The UDFA picks almost make up for the lost capital this year. The QB you can overpay for a bit, and EDGE is just one of those premium positions. I think Kwesi also learned from his first two draft experiences. In 22, they accumulated a bunch of picks, and as of now, we got...... Ed Ingram is the only starter. Maybe A Evans. Cine? Bust. Booth Jr.? Bust. Asomoah? He doesn't fit Flores's scheme, he was picked for the Don-a-Shell. Lowe? Traded. Otomewo? Bust. The jury is still out on Ty Chandler, although he may end up being the best player in that class. In 23, Kwesi didn't get as cute. Addison, great pick. Blackmond, Roy, Ward? Might pan out. Blackmond especially. Hall was a flier and could still be a decent backup. McBride, wild card. Ivan Pace Jr, a UDFA is the third starter in two drafts for Kwesi. Take the Blue chip players.

Vikings are in right now mode, and quality over quantity! Got both their guys they indentified as best fit for the team and both at the premium positions in football! Skol

I love how these guys are making such a huge deal out of losing some mid round picks but they barely touched on our mid round picks this year in "MN Vikings 2024 Draft Grade". SHOULDNT THEY BE HARPING ON HOW GOOD MID ROUND PICKS ARE

No fucking shit he’s just 1 dimensional. His upside isn’t just good it’s incredible.

Awesome draft. SKOL!

Where is the Atlanta penalties for tampering?

The Vikings had a awesome draft. The whole purpose of the draft is adding players that are starters. The Vikings got a franchise QB and a great edge rusher they desperately needed and a kicker. If the Vikings added 3 starters it was a good draft. The CB at 6'3 was a interesting pick, some had him as a second round pick

I think Kwesi cooked! We got out QB of the future with JJ, gave up a few picks, swapped some late picks to grab my number 1 defensive player on the board at 17. The Vikings are probably getting 1 and maybe even 2 round 3 compensatory picks, and possibly get something for the Falcons tampering. They could trade a QB for a mid round draft pick as well

I don’t get why people are acting like it’s bad to give up the 4th or 5th rounds to move up or even the 3rd round lol😂 what’s more likely to end up being a blue chip player a a high first round pick or 1 or 2 4th or 5th round picks!!!!! I love they went for quality over quantity!!! The opposite of what Spielman used to do!!!!

Vikings are probably getting a comp pick next year have a lot of cap space coming up. They got their #2 QB that was actually a possibility because they weren’t getting Daniels. And not having to give up next years 1st was good I get they gave up picks but i think it’ll work out

Kwesi has been awful at drafting mid round guys, 2022 was one of the worst drafts of all time he's lucky he's in a small market or he would have gotten canned. What he did in this draft was masterful: Got the franchise QB without moving up to 4, and got the best defensive player in the draft. Credit to him for learning from past mistakes.

For yall information other teams were trying to trade up for number 10 thats why the price was high

Only 4 of the 43 defensive players from the Zimmer regime are still on the roster (Bynum, Metellus, Harrison Smith & Jones II), so the league will truly see what a Flores designed defence really looks like this year. He also got a long outside CB Khyree Jackson, and a couple of decent UDFAs in Gabriel Murphy and McGlothern. Yes, you can look at the opportunity cost of staying put or trading down - personally I would have liked Brian Thomas Jnr at 23 - but B Flo got his guys over the whole off-season to complete the puzzle.

Finally a nuanced discussion

Yes Sam, I agree, in isolation the Turner trade looks expensive. 2024 pick 23 (i.e. 42 & 2025 2nd) & 188, plus 2025 3rd & 4th round picks. But remember most Vikes fans had already resigned themselves to having to give up at least 11 & 23 AND the 2025 3rd for McCarthy alone. So, to many Vikes fans it feels like they only gave up 188 and their 2024 4th, to trade up from 23 to 17. Turner as the most commonly mocked player to the Vikes at pick 11 pre FA, and McCarthy was after FA at pick 5. Who foresaw the Vikes walking away with both??

That is not a massive haul, considering everyone has been saying that next yrs picks are equal to one more round. i.e a 3rd rounder next yr is more like a 4th rounder. For Dallas freaking Turner who was mocked to go 8th, it's worth a few mid and late round picks. Not to mention the cap room they will have next yr will sub the draft picks they traded

So to analyze the efficiency of the Vikings journey from pick #42 to pick #17: this was achieved in two steps in a trade with the Texans, then a trade with Jacksonville. The end results are great, but adding up all the picks the Vikings gave up to do so, highlight for me the inefficiency of Kwesi’s trades. Vikings give up the 42nd pick, pick 167, pick 188 And their second, third and fourth round pick in 2025. Got back 232 pick 7th round. All this for pick #17. That being said, some of this occurred because the Vikings wanted to be in a position to trade for pick #3, from the Patriots. When this didn't happen, They got JJ, which was Great! However, they traded down to #17, and gave up a lot again. If this doesn't work out, there will be trouble in Minnesota, to say the least.

All the talking heads crying about the mid round picks the Vikings gave up are also the ones who used to rip Rick Spielman for trading back and accumulating day 3 picks that didn’t make the roster or were cut after a year tops………. We’ve tried the day three hoard of picks. I like the new way of moving up to get projected top 10 players (plural)

Jets pulled a fast one by making believe that there were other offers for #10 swap...Vikings got fleeced ..😮

Would you guys trade this years 2nd and 5th, next years 2nd, 3rd, and 4th for a top 5 pick? In 90% of drafts that’s where Turner goes. If you would’ve told me before the draft that’s how much we had to trade up from 11 to go get him, I would’ve said hell yes.

Love hearing ppl critique the Vikings always doing the quantity over quality draft style and now we do quality over quantity ppl still critique the hell out of it. We got 2 21 year olds at premier positions!

My issue with the Vikings draft is, both trades felt unnecessary. Was there any actual danger of any team moving up to #10 to take McCarthy? I get the Vikings weren't willing to take the chance, but then they didn't do more to get ahead of the Giants or, in the end, the Falcons, so they were gambling anyway. And with Turner, moving up 6 spots after already spending significant capital to get to #23, also felt like a lot to give up. Also, why invest in an Edge when the positions of need were DT, iOL, RB and CB? Now, if Turner ends up as a 10-15 sacks a season player and McCarthy becomes their 15 year starting QB, nobody will care what the cost was. But, after they got McCarthy, surely their number 1 priority, they could(and maybe should) have traded down out of #23 and recouped more bullets in the 2nd or 3rd round. Could have gotten someone like Newton early in the 2nd and had another day 2 pick AND kept most of their picks for 2025. Ok, they aren't boned with their choices. But it does limit them. We talk about their $100m in salary cap for 2025. But who they spending it on? Looking at the upcoming free agents in that class, there aren't a lot of choices at the positions they need. Mostly edge and WR it seems. Maybe they trade for a player. With what draft picks? They could trade back using their 2025 first round pick. Sure, but then they could have kept that pick and used the 2025 capital they perhaps unnecessarily spent in this draft to trade for players. The Vikings haven't morgated their future. But what they have done is go all-in on these 2 prospects working out. If they both pan out, then the Vikes are in a great position. If 1 or both of them bust, then Kwesi will be gone and O'Connell will be on shaky ground.

I'm just thankful the team went all in on two players and not trade back for lesser "blue chips" and accumulate day 3 picks. This is a draft I'm very excited for no matter how it ends come 2028

Dallas Turner isn't just a pass rusher. He can effectively drop into coverage. I'm not sure the other top edge guys are on his level in coverage.

Don't forget the capital the Vikings paid to have a 2nd first rounder in the first place. Moving up a few spots on draft night is one thing, doing it for a QB makes sense since they save a ton of money moving on from Kirk so you free up money to negate the loss of picks with quality free agents - but that just isn't the case with a DE/Edge, high value position or not. Turner is not going to save them much money compared to Hunter, but they still threw a ton of picks at him. It's a gamble for sure and obviously if he turns out to be a generational talent you can't knock it - but if he was, he wouldn't be there at 17, first defensive player or not. To me it's a clear sign that the Vikings ownership has argued for a win now strategy (which probably isn't far off looking at the talent there), but is insanely risky to say the least. They probably should have traded down about 5-10 spots and gotten 2-3 picks out of that (e.g. O line, safety, WR) - especially considering they took a kicker in the 6th before looking at C and DT.

Mel Kiper’s grade of a C+ is good with no context just based on the move of pick value. When it comes down to the players they got it is 2 top 10 picks, which is about the value of what they gave up in trading. Got the guys they wanted and are rocking with it.

An interesting thought is that draft picks aren’t themselves really assets, they’re only potentially assets. The perceived value of the pick might be tied to the number, but the true value of the pick is only worth whatever player it turns into. The old saying applies here, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Would you rather have Dallas Turner today, or two mid round picks next year?

🤦‍♂️… Vikings absolutely crushed it this draft. The media jackals is out of pocket, respectfully.

End of the day the Vikings came away with 2 of the top 10 players in this draft on the majority of teams boards

Our only weaknesses are at left guard, defensive tackle and maybe CB. Our roster is a lot better than most think

Turner is a wrecking machine and almost would’ve assuredly gone before 23. So u get a franchise QB and franchise Edge for the future. Who cares about next years 3 & 4th you can trade back if you want Kwesi did a great job here

The only problem I have with this draft? Kwesi should have had more focus on drafting a Center, Offensive Guard, and a Defensive Tackle. Too man picks in the draft and after the draft was spent on Edge Rushers! I have no problem with Dallas Turner! He was an excellent pick? But why are we spending draft capital and UDFA on more edge rushers when you already addressed this problem in free agency and the first round of the draft? Why did we not draft a competent Center, Guard, or Defensive Tackle? However after all these things? I give the Vikings an A- for their 2024 draft.

Why aren’t they factoring in what the Vikings gave up to get 23? Then to 17. 23, Two 2nd rounders, a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and a 6th for 17 and a 7th? That’s kinda much if you ask me

I liked your guys discussion. I liked the first round better than you did just because I think they did get a starting quarterback(next year) and a future all pro End or at least a high floor rushing back. Therefore, I view the draft capital given up as a bargain. You guys did elude to that point. Good show fellas!

He's nothing but a winner both picks let's go I'm ready for the season vikes fans

How can you question whether it’s right or wrong to put the value of the player you’re trading up to get into the “math” of whether it was a good trade up or not? Thats what the GMs are paid to do. Make valuations of players and work the draft based on those.

Had this on and wasn’t watching.. I thought Adam Carolla was talking.. 😂

We are getting multiple mid round picks for the Kirk Cousins trade comp and tampering

So your thinking is the teams trying to get to 3 were going to pick Maye because the Pats took him there? When it turns out, Penix was the other QB the Vikes had on the board. Then you must assume teams trying to get to 17 were going to also take Turner with this flawless logic?

9:00 This... Time will tell, but the aggregate value of getting JJ and Turner for all those picks (a whole lot of picks) may actually work out to be fine. But, if it goes sideways with one or both of these players, this could get Kwesi fired....

Plus the Vikings who they will get comp picks plus possibly for the Atlanta tampering!!!!

I think the Vikings, we’re going to move up to number 10 no matter what. They were either going to take McCarthy if he was still available or Michael Penix Junior. What I think is Atlanta made a move to solidify their quarterback for the future, but I kind of think that they thought that the Vikings really wanted Penix Junior. So then Minnesota had to go with McCarthy no matter what they had to make a move up so that Denver and the Raiders could not. And Atlanta screwed himself royally, by not making a move that made their team stronger going into next season.😅

My only hope was that we didn't trade three 1st round picks for a lottery ticket. Getting another top 10 defender and keeping nxt yrs 1st is nothing but gravy.

If JJ and Turner work out it will be hailed as a miracle draft. If they don't it will be hailed as a flop. Only time will tell.

4th, 5th, 6th, 7th rounders seldom make the Roster anyway.

Lmao draft value chart nerds

Viking GM must betting on stealing a pick from Atlanta for tampering

Vikings had to go to 10 as Jets had an offer they were going to accept and got the Vikings to beat it as they wanted to go to 11.

Comparing JJ and Turner to drafting Stroud and Anderson is wild, neither of them are close to as good of prospects. This is like people comparing the Penix thing to when the Packers drafted Love - exactly the same, except Penix is 3 years older with a history of injuries and they picked him at 8 instead of 26 after just signing a new QB instead of having a veteran they actively were planning to replace and not looking to keep long term. Yeah sure its the same thing

Vikings traded to ten after Atlanta took Penix. They seemed perfectly content staying at 11 before that so they might have been fine with Penix or McCarthy. Vikings will have at least 7 picks by next year and kept their first pick. We were never going to get A second back, but we got two very good players. This mid round pick stuff is a bunch of crap. They maximized. What they had. Kwesi Mr. Wallstreet😎

With over 150 million to spend next year, I don't care that we gave up a 4th and 5th to get Turner.

Vikings playoff bound

Fair assessment, SKOL

There isn't a team in the league that wouldn't do what the Vikes did if they could. The Vikes got not 1, but *TWO* top 10 players. 1 at the most important position on the offensive. And the other at the most important position on Defense. Tell me a team that wouldn't trade a 2nd, 2 3rds and 2 4ths, for a QBotF and a *premier* Edge Rusher. Also, I dare you to name any team other than the Vikes who wouldn't be given an A+ for that draft?

Draft grades are funny. Who knows more you or a GM for the national football league? Kwesi Adofo Mensah was happy after the draft with how things went and so was kevin oconnell and brian flores. Thats really all we need to know their opinions are > all else end of story.

Turner or a 4th and 5th rd pick...I'll take Turner over a couple of maybes

Going by the hindsight that Verse didn't get drafted until 2 round we didn't have to trade up and give away mid round picks but I like our picks

Dallas Turner wasn’t projected to be available at pick 10 (their 1st pick). For them to turn around and get him using their 23rd pick? You guy’s have zero integrity.

Downside of turner is he takes plays off. JJ hopefully is top 7qb when it's all said and done.

I think the Vikings also get another 3rd round comp pick next year because of KJ Osborn?

Kwesi has given up 163 pts in value worth the 37th pick in the draft since he has been the GM of the Vikings. He consistently gets less value back when trading down.

They are both 21 and have 5 years for low dollars

So the vikings are only missed a 2nd pick next year draft.

JJ Mc will win a SB in 5 years....Will those other guys? The value of the best Edge in the draft....what ever you say it probably isn't enough - Arron Donald won the SB for Rams, remember the end?

Do they realize the Vikings were trading up in the first round and not trading in day 3 gonna cost more

Vikings killed two birds with one stone👍🏼

Great discussion guys.

The thing is. Even though they got jj in the 10th pick. They got the best qb in the draft. The only one that will end up of being a superstar. With may and Daniel’s being busts. Williams being fields 2.0. And penix being a joke.

Question. 🙋‍♀️ How is having a boat load of cap space irrelevant when it comes to building a roster? Second question. 🙋‍♀️ Do you really think this is a total rebuild? Third question.🙋‍♀️ Aren’t you supposed to be football experts?

"they need their own 30 for 30" Gives us a B+

Maye aint better then JJ and we will all experience it together soon enough

You always bet on ceiling fuck everything else

The trade definitely seems less unreasonable when you factor in the 3rd round comp pick we will get next season and perhaps more for the tampering issue.

There's no discipline to wait it out, the trades were gonna trade with Las Vegas or Minnesota.

Everyone hates on this kid but everyone hated on Mahomes.

Maye is a sloppy project QB with a terrible throwing motion. JJ McCarthy has a tight throwing motion and is known to read defenses really well. Good at play action and more mobile than Maye. What am I missing? Is it cause Maye has a slightly stronger arm? Cause as far as I can see that's all Maye has over JJ McCarthy.

Go watch what these guys say in past drafts to see just how wrong they are most of the time. Sure they can get the obvious guys at a high percentage, but they miss a lot of good players that they call throw away players basically. Also the same people who dont think highly of many day 3 picks will say its giving up too much to trade two of those for the best defenseve player in the draft lol.

These guys just hate the Vikings. If the Giants made these moves they would be applauding them.