The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He was taken #10 overall after the Vikings swapped picks with the New York Jets, who moved down to #11 and took Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
McCarthy is the highest drafted quarterback to ever come out of Michigan, topping his head coach in college, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was taken #26 overall in the 1987 draft by the Chicago Bears. McCarthy is also the first Michigan quarterback to be selected since Jake Rudock (6th round, #191 overall by the Detroit Lions) in 2016.
McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter at Michigan over 2022 and 2023, with the lone loss coming to TCU in the 2023 College Football Playoff. He threw for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions from 2021-2023. He set Michigan records for completion percentage in a season (72.3% in 2023) and in a career (67.6%) and won a national championship in 2023.
Of the quarterback-needy teams in the 2024 draft, I felt like Minnesota was the best fit for McCarthy. McCarthy's main competition to start will be journeyman Sam Darnold, but they have a good cast of weapons that includes standout wide receivers (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison), an upper-echelon tight end (T.J. Hockenson), and a productive running back (Aaron Jones). I would like to see the Vikings beef up their running game with a complementary running back and/or some offensive line help, but they may address those issues in the draft or in subsequent years.
The part that mystifies me is why trade up one pick? Unless I missed it, I don't think the Jets were Qb shopping? I thought it to be a wasteful, bonehead move.
ReplyDeleteRoanman
You never know if say the Broncos were offering to move up to that spot and going to take JJ if Vikings didn't make that move. Would you rather have Bo Nix and pick 129 or JJ McCarthy?
DeleteIn general moving up doesn't make sense (IMO) because the draft is too uncertain. Nix might be better than JJ and pick 129 might be better than them both! But there are instances, if you've talked yourself into a guy being a game-changer and you are right, it can be worthwhile. With QB being so dang important to NFL success, and my personal opinion that JJ is a FAR better prospect than Nix, I don't doubt the vikings in this one.
It's not like a GM moving up for an injured WR who was the 4th best option at OSU and ran away from competition to see an easier depth chart. Trading up for that level of uncertainty seems highly dubious to me, but maybe Jameson Williams finally pays off in the second half of his rookie contract...TBD.
I think the fear was that a team like the Raiders or the Broncos - who both needed a quarterback - might have jumped ahead to #10 to draft McCarthy. It might also show how little belief they have in Darnold as a bridge to their next QB.
DeleteHopefully folks are patient with JJ and not expect him to come in and play at the same level that guys who are 3 years older than him let alone be an NFL draft.
ReplyDeleteExpectations are the only downside to have very good receiving options right away. I was hoping JJ dropped further down just to keep things in perspective but I still agree with Thunder that the Vikings are a pretty solid landing spot. NE would have been a particularly tough spot for him with Belichik and Brady casting such a large shadow.
I always see draft position as very similar to the high school star ratings -- they define you at first and determine the lens you are assessed against early on -- but within a few years it's about results, not "talent" or potential or hype. Looking back to QBs in the 2022 draft and Brock Purdy's lowly draft stock didn't seem to affect his playoff performance anymore than Kenny Pickett's 1st round status helped him avoid getting traded for 22 spots worth of 4th round draft position.
If you're still talking about where you got drafted 5 years or more after it happened -- that probably means you failed.
It's not just the shadow of Brady and Belichick in New England. It's the fact that they have zero offensive weapons. Hunter Henry is fine, but the receivers are K.J. Osborne, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas. Yuck.
DeleteAgree with you but I hope people are a little more patient in evaluating these QBs than what they do and who they play with in the first year. If NE puts good WRs in front of Maye in the next couple years he could be very successful as well. The expectations for immediate impact can undermine a young QBs development, IMO. So can a terrible OL of course or not having anyone to throw too (though the last one is the least worrisome IMO). It's not an easy thing to develop a great QB, even if they have the requisite "talent".
DeleteI remember last year this mouth breather would post every week on how UM made a mistake not starting Cade and naming JJ the start. Predicting every week that JJ would not be able to lead UM and he would get exposed in the big games.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to JJ, this could not be a better situation assuming Minn has a decent coaching staff. I know they have good offensive players and they are a better than average team. Darnold is a former first overall, is ok from what have seen (5mins of viewing). I expect Sam to win the job and JJ will get a year.
correction, Darnold was the third overall. By the Jets. I just assumed if the Jets were picking it was the first overall.
DeleteGood for him ... he seems like a fine young man and a talented QB. Let's hope he stays healthy. I suspect he's going to find that the defenses in the NFL won't allow some of those super-tight threaded throws he was doing at the college level. He'll throw some picks early as he learns the speed and skill of what he's up against in the NFL. But I predict he'll do well.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't wear purple, I'm excited for JJ. He's on a team that has a cast strong enough to lessen the burden. He needs time to adapt (and gain strength), and hopefully a year from now he can cease the show
ReplyDeleteJoe Milton was the 9th QB drafted. JJ McCarthy was the 5th. Weird draft with no QBs going rounds 2-4
ReplyDeleteSomehow I knew we'd be hearing about this from you.
DeleteRoanman
Your intuition is strong Roanman!
DeleteProbably more a statement concerning your consistency than my intuition.
DeleteMore consistent than Joe Milton on Saturdays!
Delete