The Vikings followed adding seven new players through the 2024 NFL Draft by signing 17 undrafted rookies.
But now that the roster has filled out, which questions still face Minnesota? Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune highlighted five Vikings topics to keep an eye on throughout the offseason and into minicamp and training camp.
In addition to "How is first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy looking," Goessling said another QB-related question is, "When will J.J. to J.J. happen?" He wrote:
General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Saturday that the Vikings would "keep working" on a deal for [Justin] Jefferson, adding that things could pick back up now that the Vikings and Jefferson's agents are done with the draft. […] It seems only a matter of time before Jefferson's deal is done and the two are on the field together.
Goessling also asked how Minnesota will arrange its front seven on defense.
The Vikings initiated major changes to their pass rushing group this offseason, signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to replace Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport before drafting Dallas Turner 17th overall. Greenard and Van Ginkel could line up next to Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, Jr., in the Vikings base defense, but Turner figures to be involved as early as he shows he's ready. On the defensive line, Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard are back, but players such as Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams will be fighting for roles. The group could take on different configurations in [Defensive Coordinator] Brian Flores' defense, with a deeper group of veterans than the Vikings had last year.
And last but not least, Goessling asked if the Vikings have their kicker for 2024. Minnesota has John Parker Romo and sixth-round draft pick Will Reichard currently on the roster.
[Reichard] didn't miss an extra point in 2023 and hit 22 of his 25 field-goal attempts, including all five of his tries from 50-plus yards. Romo, who played in the XFL, is one of the few NFL kickers with experience in the league's new kickoff format, which the NFL adopted from the XFL this spring. It will be interesting to watch how all the strategic changes prompted by the new rule affect the Vikings kicking competition, or even whether they'd consider hanging on to both kickers given Romo's experience.
Click here to see Goessling's full writeup on all five topics.
Vikings jump 5 spots in NFL.com's post-draft power rankings
NFL.com's Eric Edholm believes the Vikings got better after adding seven picks through the draft.
In his latest power rankings, Edholm has Minnesota in the middle of the pack at 18 – having jumped five spots from 23 in his pre-draft rankings. He did note the Vikings may still be ranked too low, though. Edholm wrote:
There's a decent case to list the Vikings higher than this, given their targeted, aggressive approach in the draft and a theoretical upgrade at football's most important position. J.J. McCarthy will continue to face doubters until he proves himself at the pro level, but he landed in the best environment a rookie quarterback could hope for, working with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, a strong offensive line and – perhaps most importantly – [Head Coach] Kevin O'Connell. Then again, the Vikings might be fourth right now as a team in their own division. Their aggressive approach, which also helped land pass rusher Dallas Turner, forced them to sit out Day 2 of the draft entirely. This isn't a team that's yet ready to graduate to the next tier, but it's also far easier to see them doing so after the draft.
Edholm had the Lions and Packers standing pat at 4 and 8, respectively, while he had the Bears moving up three spots to No. 16 after the draft.
We've graduated the Bears to the top half of the NFL. It's no charity situation, either. QB Caleb Williams' arrival was forecasted for weeks, but landing WR Rome Odunze as a new target for Williams at No. 9 overall was pretty darned exciting. I kept thinking Chicago would move down to add more picks, but the Bears stuck with Odunze and found a way to swing back into Round 5 – after they'd used all four of the selections with which they entered the draft – to pluck fascinating edge Austin Booker. But back to the offense. The Bears have a legitimate one now. No, really. Williams, Odunze, WR Keenan Allen and RB D'Andre Swift are four major additions to a group that was starting to show some promise in 2023. The upgrades mean new [Offensive Coordinator] Shane Waldron will have no excuses not to be somewhere on the upper end of the league's spectrum, if not still a shade behind the truly elite units. Even in the really tough NFC North, that should be enough to get Chicago into the playoff mix.
