Horrendous? Vikings 2024 Draft Class Earns Dubious Ranking.
A team evidently gets penalized when a rookie quarterback tears his meniscus, another player is stuck on a depth chart behind two Pro Bowlers, and one dies in a car accident.
Horrendous? Vikings 2024 Draft Class Earns Dubious Ranking
NFL.com recently ranked contributions from the 2024 draft class per NFL team, and the Vikings checked in at No. 31, also known as second worst in the NFL, one spot ahead of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns didn’t pick in the 1st Round last year because of the Deshaun Watson trade of 2022.
Gennaro Filice noted that no Vikings rookie started games in 2024, aside from kicker Will Reichard, and formulated the lowly ranking. He wrote, “Yet another reason why Kevin O’Connell won Coach of the Year: He guided the Vikings to 14 wins despite receiving minimal returns from the rookie class. Minnesota’s two first-round picks were beset by injury (QB J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in the preseason opener) and inefficacy (OLB Dallas Turner’s growing pains overshadowed the flashes of three sacks and a pick).”
McCarthy, Minnesota’s top prize from last year’s draft, tore his meniscus in August, cancelling his entire rookie season. Sam Darnold, forecasted as a “bridge” quarterback at the time, took over and led the purple team to a 14-3 record and a one-and-done postseason showing.
“Tragically, the Vikings’ third selection, fourth-round cornerback Khyree Jackson, died in a car accident just a few months after joining the team. Sixth-round kicker Will Reichard easily provided the most significant contributions, but a quadricep strain abruptly upended his red-hot start and sent him to the sideline for four games. Down the stretch, he wasn’t as reliable,” Filice added.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah takes a lot of heat — rightfully so — for his 2022 draft class because the franchise passed on players like Kyle Hamilton and Jordan Davis in favor of Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth. But most reasonable onlookers afford Adofo-Mensah some grace regarding the 2024 crop because of injuries and Jackson’s tragic death.
NFL.com wasn’t as kind.
The Washington Commanders led the way per 2024 rookie contributions, obviously headlined by quarterback Jayden Daniels’ stratospheric rise to power. The Buffalo Bills, Vikings, and aforementioned Browns inhabited the naughty section of the list.
Minnesota will pick 24th in this year’s draft if it doesn’t trade back to accumulate more capital.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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