The Vikings Had a No Skill Draft
K. Joudry
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In 2023, it was notable that the Vikings didn’t do much to address the offensive line. Fast forward to 2024 and things look a bit different.
After the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings haven’t done a ton to address their skill positions. Sure, there was the J.J. McCarthy pick at No. 10, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t use any of his seven selections on a receiver, running back, or tight end. Would it be fair to say they didn’t address the skill positions?
The Vikings, The Skill, and The Plan Moving Forward
First, the caveat.
After the event ended, Adofo-Mensah fulfilled the prophecy by being really aggressive with adding undrafted free agents. A whopping seventeen players got added in this manner, with UCLA’s Gabriel Murphy getting a fair bit of attention. The Murphy add follows the now well-established pattern of signing upside edge rushers in the UDFA cluster, as Luiji Vilain, Zach McCloud, and Andre Carter II show.
Within that cluster of 2024 UDFAs are a trio of receivers and a tight end. Notably, there’s no addition at running back.
So, the first takeaway is that the Vikings truly are invested in the Aaron Jones/Ty Chandler twosome. The veteran former Packer is going to be leaned on as the top runner, but Chandler should have a substantial role, as well. Those two are going to be tasked with resurrecting a thoroughly below average rushing attack in recent years.
And then the relative silence at tight end points toward some good news: maybe the T.J. Hockenson recovery is ahead of schedule. After Mr. Hockenson is a trio who was around last year — Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, & Nick Muse — to partner with the UDFA add (Trey Knox).
Stepping back from TE, we can look at pass catchers more broadly.
Some believed that a receiver addition was going to occur in the 2024 NFL Draft since K.J. Osborn went over to New England. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison form a tremendous top pair, but there’s at least a bit of skepticism about who can fill in at WR3. As of right now, the task would fall to Brandon Powell, someone who is very elusive in open space and who could reasonably solidify himself as a strong option in that spot.
Of course, there’s a broader context. If T.J. Hockenson is on the field and Aaron Jones lives up his potential, then a stud at WR3 isn’t as important. The TE1 and RB1 are great playmakers, so they’ll need to be featured prominently. There’s only one football, folks.
Whoever is tossing the pigskin — Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy — is going to benefit from the excellent skill. The unusual detail is simply that the rookie options at RB, TE, and WR may be non-existent.
A list of the Vikings’ picks can be found on PurplePTSD.
The Vikings’ Post-Draft Depth Chart
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.