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The 2024 NFL draft will allow the Minnesota Vikings to hit reset after a disappointing season. There were missed chances on many fronts for the franchise.
They came into last season as the reigning NFC North champions. Yet, they failed to make it to the postseason this time. Much of that came down to quarterback Kirk Cousins' Achilles tear. At the time of his injury, he led the league in passing touchdowns and was firmly in the MVP conversation.
Instead, as he went out, they faced instability at the position and ended up falling behind both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.
This season, they face renewed scrutiny in that position. Cousins is 35 years old and out of contract. Nobody knows if he will still be the same after returning from his injury. All of that points to the 2024 NFL Draft being an important one for the Minnesota Vikings. Here's a look at how they can address their needs ahead of next season.
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How many picks do the Vikings have in the 2024 NFL draft?
The Vikings, provisional to the compensatory picks awarded by the league in March, have a total of eight picks in the 2024 NFL draft.
They have two picks in the top 100 of the draft, which also happens to be within the first 50 picks. Then they are projected to have five picks before the No. 200 pick and one in the last round.
Exploring Vikings' team needs in 2024
Quarterback is without a doubt their biggest need on day one. There has been some talk of the Vikings potentially trading up from #11 overall to pick a quarterback. The most likely candidates for that move up the draft order would be the Cardinals (#4 overall) and Chargers (#5 overall). The Giants have the #6 overall pick, though they could also be on the lookout for a QB.
They also need an offensive guard to better protect the quarterback so that whoever is behind center does not face another injury. Getting a running back is also a priority so that a threat in the backfield is renewed as Dalvin Cook used to provide.
On defense, they need to tighten up the defensive tackle position and also add someone on the edge. Depending on explosive plays from the offense all the time is not a consistent recipe for success.
Sportskeeda's Mock Draft Simulator can help to quickly fill these positions of need based on the projected picks in this year's draft. This has been modeled by keeping the original draft order in place instead of seeking to build in potential trades, which are likely to happen in real time. It resulted in the below simulation:
In this iteration, the Vikings have chosen to select Chop Robinson to address their need for a talented player on the edge. However, they have not ignored the quarterback position either and have brought in national champion J.J. McCarthy from Michigan in the second round. However, given McCarthy's rise over the past few weeks, it would be unlikely that he is available in the second round.
They have also elected to go with three other defensive edge players in this draft with two of them coming before the top 200 picks. They also pick running back Braelon Allen out of Wisconsin to address their running back need before turning their attention to cornerback Miles Battle out of Utah to address further defensive needs.
To address their offensive line needs, they have chosen to pick Steven Losoya III out of Mississippi State late in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings know that they will have to use this draft to build for the future but also keep an eye on maximizing the talent around Kirk Cousins if they bring him back for one more year.
