NFL draft grades 2024: Analysts are high on Vikings draft class

The 2024 NFL Draft has concluded and the Minnesota Vikings have their draft class. After entering with nine picks, the Vikings made seven picks after trading up twice in the first round.

Round Pick Selection 1 10 Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy 1 17 Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner 4 108 Oregon CB Khyree Jackson 6 177  Oklahoma OT Walter Rouse 6 203 Alabama K Will Reichard 7 230  Wake Forest C Michael Jurgens 7 232  Texas A&M Commerce DT Levi Drake RodriguezAfter the NFL Draft is completed, it’s really interesting to see what the rest of the national media thinks of how the Vikings did with their seven picks. Keep track of what they think of the Vikings draft class.

2024 NFL draft grades for Minnesota VikingsThe Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer: AThe Vikings could have rested on McCarthy for their passing game and both Turner and Jackson for the pass defense and had a solid draft. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t waste time pleasing Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores to accelerate a rebuild. They made good use of moving up to go for high-upside quality over pure quantity. Reichard also filled a key need. 

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter: B+The Vikings gave up pick value in 2023, Day 3 picks this year and much of their 2025 draft in moves that landed them McCarthy, tight end T.J. Hockenson (in a 2022 deadline deal with Detroit) and edge rusher Turner. McCarthy and Turner possess the skill set to make that investment worthwhile, though McCarthy will need to continue his winning ways at the next level and Turner must be an impact defender. 

Jackson is a Riq Woolen-type corner, long and quick-footed, who presents excellent value in the fourth round. Rouse is a strong, experienced lineman who takes over for departed veteran Oli Udoh as the swing tackle. Don’t overlook Jurgens’ chances of making the roster. Reichard is the FBS’ all-time leading scorer, and the Vikings need a reliable field goal kicker; I’m interested in how his career compares with that of Cam Little, who was picked by the Jags with pick No. 212.

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema: B+With Michael Penix Jr. being drafted before McCarthy, Minnesota had to move up only one selection to get their quarterback competition for Sam Darnold. McCarthy has traits to work with and was excellent when Michigan needed him to make a play in third-and-long situations, but he wasn’t asked to carry the offense much at the college level. He does land in one of the league’s better situations for a rookie quarterback, as Minnesota has a solid offensive line and a talented receiving corps.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: C+My qualm about GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s class has more to do with mortgaging the future of this Minnesota roster. He made the move in March to get an extra first-rounder at No. 23, which cost him a second-round pick next year. And to trade up from No. 23 to No. 17, he had to give the Jaguars his 2025 third- and fourth-rounders. That means the Vikings have just three selections next year, one in Round 1 and two in Round 5. With a rookie quarterback under center, are they really in a position to go all-in right now? This is after they had just two picks in Rounds 1-3 this year.

Can coach Kevin O’Connell turn McCarthy into a top-10 passer? That’s the question that will linger with this Minnesota class, which is extremely top-heavy. Plus, I’m factoring in Adofo-Mensah’s moves that upended the team’s 2025 draft.

USA Today’s Nate Davis: A-After losing QB Kirk Cousins in free agency, they went on the offensive and obtained a second first-round from Houston last month – a move presumed to necessitate a subsequent climb up the board. But GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah played his cards right and got to select twice in Round 1 – coming away with highly regarded but highly divisive Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and highly regarded (period) pass rusher Dallas Turner. The third-round spot was cashed in two years ago as part of a trade deadline deal for Pro Bowl TE T.J. Hockenson. The kicking game should be boosted by sixth-rounder Will Reichard of the Crimson Tide.

AP’s Rob Maadi: BQB J.J. McCarthy (10) isn’t the 10th-best player in the draft but they didn’t want to risk losing him. Moved up to get possibly the best defensive player in the draft, DE Dallas Turner (17). CB Khyree Jackson was great value in the fourth.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco: B-Like all the teams that took quarterbacks, their drafts will be defined by how well they play. That’s the Vikings with McCarthy. Even if Turner becomes a true star, which I think he will, this draft is about McCarthy. Period. They also traded a lot of future picks to get McCarthy and Turner, so they better be stars. 

Fox Sports’ Carmen Vitali: AThe Vikings needed a quarterback and got one. Though he likely wasn’t their first choice (they reportedly tried to trade up to No. 3 presumably to select Drake Maye), this may have ended up being the ideal scenario. They needed to trade up just one spot from their first pick at No. 11 to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was still aggressive with the No. 23 pick, trading up to No. 17 to get Alabama edge Dallas Turner, widely considered one of the best defenders in the draft. Both are arguably top-10 prospects. The drawback is that the Vikings are now extremely low on draft capital next year. They have their first-round pick and just two fifth-round picks. They should expect at least one if not two third-round compensatory picks for losing Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter to free agency, but their roster is in solid shape, especially after adding another corner in Khyree Jackson from Oregon and multiple offensive linemen for depth. The Vikings almost certainly won the first round, but they may win the entire draft if McCarthy pans out. 

Yahoo! Sports’ Charles McDonald: C+The Vikings went all in and got their quarterback and edge rusher of the future. Whew. As a result, they barely have any 2025 picks. They do have some talented prospects at key positions to build around. J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner can be solid NFL players, but the Vikings paid a high price to attain them. Right now, the only top-100 pick they’re slated to have in 2025 is their first-round pick (with at least one third-round compensatory pick coming their way for Kirk Cousins). This better work!

Sports Illustrated’s Tyler Forness: B+The Vikings draft will hinge on the success of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. They didn’t have to trade up far, moving up just one spot to get him. They also traded up to get pass rusher Dallas Turner, but they had to use third and fourth-round picks from 2025 to make it happen. What Turner provides will be really key in determining the value of this draft class is.

Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department: A-This class will be defined by Minnesota’s two trades in Round 1. The Vikings seemed quite comfortable with McCarthy as their quarterback of the future and resisted the urge to overpay to land him. Turner may need a little seasoning, but he has the potential to blossom into a franchise player.

Using both first-round picks instead of flipping them both for McCarthy was a win for Minnesota.

NBC Sports’ Eric Froton: C+The Minnesota faithful can rest easy now that their successor to Kirk Cousins has been landed, and they only had to move up one spot to do it, allowing them to move up and also land Bama Edge Turner (+8). He posted 10.0 sacks with a 15.4% pressure rate (3rd) and 89.3 pass rush grade (8th in P5) while being named First Team All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson (+8) is about as long as corners come at 6’036, but his 1.60s 10-yard split (46th%) and 2.67s flying-20 (37th%) are disappointing times, showing that he needs to ramp-up before he gets moving.

While this is one of the more top-heavy classes in the NFL, the Vikings landed a franchise QB and potentially high-end Edge rusher. They’re also banking the better part of two full draft classes on those two players, having mortgaged their 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks in 2025 which could hamper their ability to build around them. There is a considerable downside to these decisions that needs to be factored in if McCarthy and Turner don’t pan out.

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: C+I think I am going to regret my dislike of the Vikings draft, just like I did with the Texans draft a year ago. I didn’t quite see the value of the Dallas Turner trade, but if defensive coordinator Brian Flores can get the best out of him, what’s the difference at the end of the day? I thought the Vikings should have been more aggressive to get the quarterback they really wanted, but I also think that Kevin O’Connell is going to make it work with McCarthy.