2025 Draft Grades

supafreak84 wrote:
Matt Miller at ESPN on his best round 6 value pick;

Miller: Kobe King, LB, Minnesota Vikings (No. 201). King is a run-and-chase linebacker who is tough for blockers to handle when he's crashing downhill in the run game. He was graded as a fourth-rounder on my board thanks to his between-the-tackles toughness, so the Vikings received exceptional value selecting him toward the end of Round 6.

Kobe King was someone I really liked. About two months ago I said we needed a new MLB and no one was looking that way. I think that was a great value pick. Should be a good get for us.

supafreak84 wrote:
Matt Miller at ESPN on his best round 6 value pick;

Miller: Kobe King, LB, Minnesota Vikings (No. 201). King is a run-and-chase linebacker who is tough for blockers to handle when he's crashing downhill in the run game. He was graded as a fourth-rounder on my board thanks to his between-the-tackles toughness, so the Vikings received exceptional value selecting him toward the end of Round 6.

Which Pace pretty much does as well. Fiancé is a Penn State grad so chances are I’ve seen King more than Miller. We needed someone who can cover which he does a pinch better than Pace, but not enough to make a tangible impact. Definitely an improvement over Asomoah.

JustInTime wrote:

Which Pace pretty much does as well. Fiancé is a Penn State grad so chances are I’ve seen King more than Miller. We needed someone who can cover which he does a pinch better than Pace, but not enough to make a tangible impact. Definitely an improvement over Asomoah.

Agreed. Definitely needed an upgrade at backup LB. Out of our later picks, King and Ingram-Dawkins both look the part

I will give this draft A-. Look at the draft as trying to maximize the impact of the picks we had, with that I think it was a success. A primary objective this off-season was to to make the trenches better and to make our team better running the ball and defending the run.

1. Jackson completes our offensive line rebuild. He will make the guard position much more comfortable to the QB by limiting pressure and being a road grader when running the ball. I really think his positional flexibility on being a very solid tackle sealed the pick in my opinion, it allows for maximum flexibility especially with Darrisaws uncertainty. After Jackson the guard quality fell off a cliff. This has been a theme I have seen for a while. Where the quality of NFL quality lineman is going down each year as mire and more college offenses are going away from pro offenses. With that being said the rarity factor meant you could find more quality for other positions later in the draft.

Trade. This trade had excellent value dropping 5 spots to improve our 6th round pick. By 45. Ultimately trading back later in the draft and picking up a solid backup QB that only costs 1.5 miilion a year. This is an immense value added maneuver allowing the team to spend more money to pick up any final pieces to the puzzle. My gut feel is Watts was their target, once he was off the board they pivoted to the next pick

3. Felton - they state KR but honestly the route running and athleticism has the potential for him being as good as Addison. The Vikings have done an exceptional job at picking WR lately for a position that generally has a poor hit rate. Route running and flexibility in routes appears to be the common denominator of most of the WR they have picked lately. Felton had excellent production even with a weaker QB.

5 Ingram Dawkins - picked purely for his athleticism not toe the production on the field. This appears to be a Florio pet project. We succeeded in the past with Hunter, but this is a lotto ticket - not hitting the Fareway. Yes he could rally improve with better coaching and it’s not that I don’t recognize the potential, if this pick hits this draft will be off the charts as I do think the other 2 will be major successes, the odds of that is incredibly slim 25% or less. Granted it’s the 5th round.

6. King - this team struggled to stop the run especially when our 2 primary starters were out. King will be able to stuff the run. He will also be a special teams staple. Yes the coverage aspect needs work, but for this pick you got outstanding value. His talent dictated a 4th round or 5th round or higher based on production, and with teams expected to run the ball more, another thumper was needed. Go back to the mantra running the ball and stopping the run. They want to be able to win any type of game,
and King increases our ability of the opponent wants to try to run the ball down our throats. This is an A+++ pick in my book.

6. Bartholomew. Sounds like a lunch pail type of guy, does everything right with the ability to be a better pass option. Effectively will be a solid backup. It was a solid pick. We have a TE spot open, but in they aren’t just going to give it to Bartholomew. They picked up 2 more TE as UDFA’s. Both were top 10 remaining TE not picked yet. There should be a solid competition for this spot.

UDFA- the Vikings have really been utilizing UDFA extremely well the last couple of years. Spending some cheap money for an excellent return. This year looks similar. As mentioned above Nesbit and Yurosek are both solid TE to add to the completion. Brosmer is our next QB3 project. He has talent but at best a backup in the future, but he did receive our highest guarantee from what was public. Logan Browns tape looks like a a 4th round back up tackle to me with upside to be a starter. Punching a teammate and getting kicked off a team really hurt his draft stock, but for the Vikings it creates an opportunity for both the team and the player. I think Brown is the most likely player to make it on the roster from this group. There is a handful of other players that could flash.

I do think it appeared we avoided the defensive backfield in the draft which you wonder if intentional, or just missed out on players like Watts. I think this gets resolved this week with more signings. They say a draft is successful if you can find 2-3 solid players. I think this draft will easily do that. The UDFA picks and Ingram Dawkins pick will determine if this was a great draft that paid off much more than the limited draft capital we had for the weekend.

supafreak84 wrote:

Agreed. Definitely needed an upgrade at backup LB. Out of our later picks, King and Ingram-Dawkins both look the part

Yup. Pretty easy path to making the roster.

JustInTime wrote:
My take.

General Thoughts: As I have previously mentioned, after Booker, Zabel, Harmon, and Barron were off the board, the draft lost a lot of lustre for me. Booker reuniting with JJ was just a massive karma groove. Really wanted Harmon as I've wanted a replacement for Kevin Williams forever. This guy has Chris Jones type traits. The Steelers have previously drafted my man crushes, Keanu Benton and Payton Wilson in recent years so what's one more theft by the...Stealers. Zabel was my next highest want simply because I didn't think Barron would be available.

My hope was to come out of the draft with either an impact trench guy or a legit CB1 that would allow BFlo the ability to mix in more man coverage. I wouldn't have hated Henderson at 24 but I think value wise Harvey was a better balance of draft capital cost and potential production. Definitely thought iLB was a lot closer to a need than most. TE was a no brainer simply based on current roster configuration. WR was no where on my radar so I spent very little time review this class save for Savion Williams. 

So, that's my starting point for this review. My prism if you will that will obviously impact my take on the 2025 class. 

Donovan Jackson. Again for transparency I didn't give Jackson much of a review pre-draft as I locked in on Booker and Zabel a good 2 months ago. Post draft I dug in. Came away impressed with all the elements you want in a good guard, had the triangle numbers, production, position flexibility, played in a top conference, and had an excellent run in the college football playoffs. Got to see his first start at LT and thought Abdul Carter would have a field day. Jackson held his own and over the next 800 or so snaps at LT had some in the scouting community stating he might be a better LT prospect than guard.

Upside: Completes the interior OL rebuild that could eventually lead to year over year Super Bowl contention. Pairing him with Darrisaw should lead to a dominant left side for many years. Should be a solid to very good LG for the next decade. He's not John Hannah or Randall McDaniel, but if you squint hard enough you might get a Vikings version of Steve Hutchinson. 

Downside: It's a fucking G! Highly fungible position. Brandel was solid to good with Darrisaw to his left and a mediocre at best Bradbury to his right. My assumption was with a return of Darrisaw and a much better Kelly flanking him, he would return to early season form. Plus with another year starting he could turn into a very good player.

Opportunity Cost: There were a couple better options that we could have explored. I won't get into speculating that we could have traded up for a more impact player (Harmon) simply because we didn't have the ammo. The two safeties that went after Jackson are directly tied to the Ravens organization. Starks went to Baltimore and Emmanwori went to Seattle who is coached by the former Baltimore DC. When you consider that Harry is done after this year, Jackson has little experience and Mettellus is a FA not addressing safety was extremely shortsighted. When looking at the pick from a value and roster continuity perspective it's a below average return. But, if these leads to deep playoff runs year over year, then...its a fucking safety..

(I'll be much briefer going forward)

Tai Felton. I like what I've seen so far. Looks to have some really good run after the catch ability. Little on the light side but that can be fixed. Not stout in contested catch situations but seems to have decent traits in other faucets of the game. Returned 8 kicks in college, but I believe we will try him there. 

My big problem with the pick is Nailor and Powell combined for 52 targets last year. Ill assume WR3 targets will decrease in an offense destined to run more. This was a really poor use of draft capital. I would have gone with Bhaysul Tuten. He'd be the heir apparent to Aaron Jones and is a helluva kick returner. Took two to the house his junior year and averaged nearly 29 a return. At best Felton is WR3 for the next 3 or 4 years. The only upside is the massive karma as former slender Terrapins have fared well. This pick doesn't hold up to minimal scrutiny. Yuck.

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. First of his name, lord of the arm over and double handed swipe. Traits galore. Fastest 10 yard split at the combine. He'll compete for Edge4 with a couple guys, Ritcher and Murphy, who are pretty much polar opposites. This will be an interesting camp competition. Good use of our limited draft capital.

Kobe King. The one guy in this class that I mocked at least once. Definitely a position of need as we didn't fare well when Cashman and Pace missed time. I would have preferred an iLB like Demetrius Knight who went much earlier. King is a larger Ivan Pace with maybe slightly better coverage ability. Meh.

Gavin Bartholomew. Based solely on numbers he's likely to get more meaningful snaps than anyone not named Jackson or Felton. Very short arms for a 6-5 guy. Try hard blocker who'll need time in the weight room. One of several team captains we drafted.

Final analysis: In a couple ways this draft had a look and feel similar to Kwesi's first draft. Lots of guys with high RAS scores and team captains. I believe the similarities end there. Jesus I hope it does. Final judgement will pretty much rest on the impact of Jackson. If he turns LG into a strength and is the last cog to the Maul of America™ it will be a ringing success. Anything short of that the opportunity costs sacrificed and the absolute waste of drafting Felton when better and more impactful prospects were available will be greatly amplified. Grade: D+ to a B

While I agree that taking a guard in the 1st isn’t exactly maximizing impact, the Vikings were in a position to take BPA. And I liked Jackson more than most. I would’ve taken him over Booker. I had Zabel about even. There's more than a few in the draft community who ranked Jackson as the #1 guard.

I liked that Zabel had experience at 4 out of the 5 OL positions, but he did that at NDSU, facing future farmers from Fargo. He did look good at the Senior Bowl facing real NFL talent, so I'll give him that, but Jackson played left tackle for the national champions and faced off against the likes of Abdul Carter. After one down game, he adjusted and ended up playing really well down the stretch. That kind of failure, adjustment and rapid improvement bodes well IMO.

I do you give you credit for waking me up to the LB need. LB wasn’t even on my radar as a position we might draft until you started talking about Dimmy Knight.  Our interest in Carson Schwesinger confirms that. I suspect that if we had traded to the 2nd round, he could’ve been a target.

Agree about Tuten over Felton. But I wouldn’t compare this to the ’22 draft. We had 10 picks that draft and missed on all of them. This draft is more like 2023. Few picks, good looking 1st rounder, no 2nd rounder, and a promising 3rd rounder. If we can get Addison and Blackmon-like impacts from Jackson and Felton, I’ll consider it a success.

With so few picks and most of those in late (not later) rounds, getting 1-2 starters this draft is where I set the bar.

I am no draftnik, but I think I would have taken Harmon over Jackson and Jackson over Zabel or Booker. I've just read too often concerns about Zabel being able to anchor consistently in the NFL and Jackson being a better scheme fit for us vs Booker.

It'll be interesting to see what they do between now and September.

I would put the Vikings as a top 4 NFC team on paper (in April). I think its a team that could punch Philly, Detroit or Washington in the mouth in a street fight.

purplefaithful wrote:
With so few picks and most of those in late (not later) rounds, getting 1-2 starters this draft is where I set the bar.

I am no draftnik, but I think I would have taken Harmon over Jackson and Jackson over Zabel or Booker.  I've just read too often concerns about Zabel being able to anchor consistently in the NFL and Jackson being a better scheme fit for us vs Booker.

It'll be interesting to see what they do between now and September.

I would put the Vikings as a top 4 NFC team on paper (in April). I think its a team that could punch Philly, Detroit or Washington in the mouth in a street fight.

I’d add the Rams to that list. 

Harmon was my big man crush. He gets to learn from Hayward.

Agreed re: Rams

StickierBuns wrote:

I think so as well. If any of those might take a step back this upcoming season, its Washington....but it would be one step back, two steps forward as Jayden Daniels is the real deal. Tough sledding at the top of the NFC, Minnesota needs to hit on McCarthy.

The entire eco system collapses w/out that...

No pressure kid!

purplefaithful wrote:
Agreed re: Rams

The entire eco system collapses w/out that...

No pressure kid!

Well we did draft him for this spot. Just rip the band aid off and let's see what he can do. The team was built by Kwesi and KOC to what looks like a friendly situation for a young QB.

Vikings really stick to picks from their 30 visits

I think that effectively tells you who were high on their lists.

Of 1st rounders you had Derrick Harmon and Donovan Jackson. You then had Savaiinaea (G and T) and Ersery who was taken in the second.

I thought Watts was someone they were interested in but he was not in the 30 visits. Here who was that we picked or signed as UDFA - Ingram-Dawkins, Max Brosmer, Yurosek and Jackson.

The real question is who the Vikings had higher, Jackson or Harmon and my guess is Harmon. Would have been interesting to see what they would have done in that situation. Harmon and then which lineman would they pick in the 3rd or later. Marcus Mbow was on a visit and picked in the 5th. Interesting enough he also plays G and T.

It is interesting that 3 of the player visits were for players who had played both G and T. That appears to be something they were looking at.

Bunsen82 wrote:
Vikings really stick to picks from their 30 visits

I think that effectively tells you who were high on their lists. 

Of 1st rounders you had Derrick Harmon and Donovan Jackson.  You then had Savaiinaea (G and T) and Ersery who was taken in the second. 

I thought Watts was someone they were interested in but he was not in the 30 visits.  Here who was that we picked or signed as UDFA -  Ingram-Dawkins, Max Brosmer, Yurosek and Jackson. 

The real question is who the Vikings had higher, Jackson or Harmon and my guess is Harmon.  Would have been interesting to see what they would have done in that situation.  Harmon and then which lineman would they pick in the 3rd or later.  Marcus Mbow was on a visit and picked in the 5th.  Interesting enough he also plays G and T. 

It is interesting that 3 of the player visits were for players who had played both G and T.  That appears to be something they were looking at.

I was talking about this with a buddy yesterday through text. I believe it would have been Harmon as well. Mbow was the player we talked about being our 2nd pick if that was the scenario that played out. Versatility at the spot seemed to be a focus. Rightfully so, it is easier to spot and place at the last second or in dire situations.

purplefaithful wrote:
Agreed re: Rams

The entire eco system collapses w/out that...

No pressure kid!

Yes,  he has been given a fully loaded vehicle,  he just needs to drive it.  As long as he can throw the ball (Christian Ponder) -  he appears to have the mental capabilities to understand the offense and the necessary athleticism, poise and intangibles to execute.  At Michigan he appeared to thrive on pressure,  he was in a massive fishbowl that last year and did well.  The fact the team isn't getting any high end back up tells you how comfortable they are with him for now.  Injuries can always pop up though as we know with Bridgewater.  Fingers crossed,  but I really thing we got the ownership, coaches and players to lead us to a Super Bowl win in the next 2-3 years.

My draft grade: B- overall. B+ given our scarce resources.

I think a good draft you are getting 3 solid starters from. 2 solid starters I feel is par. I think the quality of our draft is pretty limited to how little draft capital we had. I think Jackson is a homerun of a pick. I think he’ll be another Darrisaw that unlocks new levels for our offense. Everything else is just darts that I think are good fits. I think Felton is a poor mans Jaylin Noel. Noel was taken not too far in front of us. We should have traded up to go get him and that would have made this draft into a very good one. Probably would have required next years 3rd, but I think Noel is that much better than Felton. If Felton ends up being the contributor that Nailor isn’t, that would be huge. He’s got the physical traits, but I’m not holding my breath. That said, I trust McCardell to elevate the WRs more than most coaches. A consistent deep threat that safeties have to account for would be huge for our offense. Noel is that. Felton might become that. Howell trade: I don’t know anything about Howell. Kind of feels like a guy that you could just get after the draft without having to waste draft capital on, but people trade a 6th for crappy QBs all the time. I don’t feel confident that we’ve solved the backup QB spot. I feel like we still have to go get a veteran QB and that Howell is a slightly more experienced QB3 with traits KOC likes, but I could be wrong because I know nothing about him.

I'm not a draftnik and have no basis on which to hand out letter grades. I'll just give a few opinions.

OG Jackson - got a good feeling about this one. Of course that often turns out wrong but hopefully this is not one of those times. Some people thought he was the best guard in the draft. They say the draft didn't fall our way and this was probably our bpa. It's also what KOC wanted - he's been on a mission since the Rams debacle to upgrade the IOL and I'd say at this point, mission accomplished.

WR Felton - beat writers said the coaches had to watch him at a workout to verify he could field kicks before they would ok taking him. It's apparently why they wanted him. Didn't field kicks in college so... why are they thinking that? Who knows. Our draft process under KAM has not exactly been underwater 4D chess playing so far.

DE Ingram-Dawkins - same writers said Flores is pumped about him and Flores doesn't easily get pumped. Take it for what you will, I saw one highlight reel after they took him, he just looks like every other dlineman. But I'm not an expert.

The rest - I know nothing and have no opinion. Thor Nystrom is the only draft "expert" out there who I even occasionally listen to because I think he's informative and tries to be objective. He gave our draft a D but did have some positive things to say about some of the guys except Bartholomew who he thought was a mistake. That is all.

Canthony wrote:
I thought it was a good draft to be honest. IMO the best G in the class. He wouldn't have made it past 25 and I firmly believe that. Felton is a baller and a player the Vikings and KOC really wanted. We got our wish. Kobe King was a MLB that I liked a ton. He is a beast and will be all over the ball carrier. The draft went well for the limited picks we had. I am a little surprised with no RB. The real issue I had, no DT when they were there for the taking. That part baffles me. It got me thinking, are we building to strictly to go for the SB on JJs rookie deal? Almost seems that way. If that is the case, I am fine with it.

People are weird. They aren't better than anyone that works in the NFL. This isn't Madden. Sometimes things are just a waste of my time.

I think the thumper MLB is going to make a comeback.  I know nothing about the college players, but like the thought of adding that type of depth.  Pace is a good starter, but he is also small and so some meat in the middle makes good sense.

I really think this draft and how well it is view will be based on Ingram Dawkins.  Dawkins has the potential to be very good,  and did flash some last year, but even in a loaded room he didn't get as much playing time as you would have expected with someone with his athleticism.  If he becomes a rotational or starter down the road it will change drastically how this draft is viewed.  If you effectively find another Hunter with a 5th round pick it completely changes your draft. As well as finding useable parts from UDFA's.    

In 2023 - You had Addison, Blackmon, Ward and Mcbride -  not bad.  Add in UDFA Ivan Pace and that is an excellent draft. 

2024 -  McCarthy, Turner,  Jackson (RIP), Rouse, Reichard, and Levi Rodriguez  udfa's - Gabriel Murphy, Richter, Jones, Mcglothern, Taki Taimani

Those both look like 2 very solid drafts.  add a 3rd on top with limited capital and I think the mantra that we don't draft well has to go away.