Meet the Vikings’ 2024 NFL draft class

The Vikings entered the 2024 NFL draft with nine picks and ended up making seven, using two of their selections to trade up in the first round to secure players in two of their biggest areas of need.

QB, Michigan (Round 1, No. 10)

The Vikings traded up one spot to acquire their new franchise quarterback Thursday night. McCarthy has been a winner at every level, reaching three state title games and winning one with Nazareth Academy outside Chicago and losing just one game in two seasons as a starter at Michigan, where he won a national championship. He’s the youngest of the 2024 first-round quarterbacks, having turned 21 in January. He also threw fewer passes per game — 22 — last season than any first-round QB because the Wolverines dominated with lights-out defense and a run-oriented offense. Read more about McCarthy.

Edge, Alabama (Round 1, No. 17)

The Vikings traded up six spots to take Turner, the third defender selected in the first round. A 21-year-old from South Florida, Turner led all edge rushers at the NFL scouting combine, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, and also posted the best vertical jump at his position. He led Alabama with 14.5 tackles for losses last season and also had 10 sacks on his way to being SEC defensive player of the year. Asked at the combine which NFL players he molds his game after, he first mentioned former Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Read more about Turner.

CB, Oregon (Round 4, No. 108)

After having no picks in the second and third rounds, the Vikings used their first selection on Day 3 to address their need for physical corners who can play man coverage. Jackson is a 6-foot-4 corner who ran a 4.5-second 40 and has shown he isn’t afraid to challenge receivers. A 24-year-old from Upper Marlboro, Md., Jackson started only 13 Division I games, playing one season at Oregon and two at Alabama (where he was teammates with Turner) after beginning his career at the junior college level. He had three interceptions and seven pass breakups last season for the Ducks along with two sacks and five tackles for a loss. Read more about Jackson.

LT, Oklahoma (Round 6, No. 177)

The 6-6, 313-pound Rouse, 23, started for four seasons at left tackle for Stanford, graduated and then transferred to Oklahoma, where he was the starter at left tackle last season. A native of the Washington, D.C., area, he is the grandson of Vic Rouse, a star basketball player at Loyola-Chicago who hit the game-winning shot in the 1963 national championship game against Cincinnati. He wants to pursue a medical engineering career when his playing career is done. Read more about Rouse.

K, Alabama (Round 6, No. 203)

Reichard, 23, grew up in Hoover, Ala., and became a record-setting kicker for the Crimson Tide. The SEC special teams player of the year, Reichard made 55 of 55 PATs and 22 of 25 field goals, including 5-of-5 from 50 yards and beyond, in 2023. For his career, he made 295 of 297 PATs and 84 of 100 field goals while posting a major-college-record 547 career points and school records with 84 field goals and 10 field goals from 50 yards and beyond. He becomes the favorite to win a training camp battle with John Parker Romo to replace Greg Joseph, who left for Green Bay via free agency.

OL, Wake Forest (Round 7, No. 230)

Jurgens, listed at 6-4 and 311 pounds, won’t be a threat to starting center Garrett Bradbury, but he’ll help provide depth for an offensive line that did not retain guard Dalton Risner or guard/center Austin Schlottmann this offseason. The Vikings signed veteran guard/center Dan Feeney as well. Jurgens, 24, spent six seasons in college. After the Vikings took experienced left tackle Rouse (52 starts in college), they’re getting another experienced blocker in Jurgens, who started 46 games at center and guard.

DT, Texas A&M-Commerce (Round 7, No. 232)

A Texas native, Rodriguez (listed at 6-4, 290) was FCS All-America after walking on at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2022 and earning a scholarship. He started his college playing days at Southwestern Assemblies of God, an NAIA program. Rodriguez had 5.5 sacks last season. He wasn’t invited to the NFL scouting combine, but the Vikings hosted him at TCO Performance Center on a predraft visit.

Shortly after the draft ended Saturday night, the Vikings announced the signing of 17 undrafted free agents: OL Matt Cindric, California; LB K.J. Cloyd, Miami; OL Jeremy Flax, Kentucky; LB Dallas Gant, Toledo; WR Devron Harper, Mercer; WR Ty James, Mercer; WR Jeshaun Jones, Maryland; TE Trey Knox, South Carolina; DL Tyler Manoa, Arizona; LB Donovan Manuel, Florida International; CB Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas; OLB Gabriel Murphy, UCLA; OL Doug Nester, West Virginia; OLB Owen Porter, Marshall; OLB Bo Richter, Air Force; OL Spencer Rolland (Apple Valley), North Carolina; DL Taki Taimani, Oregon.