J.J. McCarthy will have the opportunity to become the Vikings' front man and leader for the ... [+]
The Minnesota Vikings had high hopes of coming out of Day 1 of the NFL Draft with an elite quarterback. They may have done just that as they selected J.J. McCarthy of Michigan with the 10th pick after moving up one spot in a trade with the New York Jets.
McCarthy has proved to be a dynamic player and a winner at the college level. He led Michigan to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff, and he helped the Wolverines come away with the national championship last season, beating Washington 34-13 in the title game.
McCarthy was labeled as the best quarterback in Michigan’s long history, and he was given that crown by Jim Harbaugh. At the time, Harbaugh was Michigan’s head coach, and now he has moved on to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
However, McCarthy’s skill at helping his team win games, Big Ten championships and a national championship is not necessarily based on his passing talent. He is clearly a great leader, but in the Michigan offense, he did not have to throw the ball as much as top prospects Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix or Bo Nix.
That could be an issue moving forward, but the Vikings had seen enough of a quarterback with high-level passing skill in Kirk Cousins. He had been an accurate passer for six years with the Vikings and he was both liked and respected within the Minnesota locker room. But when it came to winning big games, Cousins came up short too many times. That’s why the Vikings didn’t have an issue when he signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
It may be possible that the Falcons are having second thoughts about Cousins, or at least wondering about his recovery from a torn Achilles that he suffered midway through last season. The Falcons had the No. 8 pick in the draft and it was expected that they would use that pick to select a defensive impact player. However, the Falcons drafted Penix in a move that shocked draft analysts.
That moved shocked the Vikings into action. They wanted McCarthy, but they also knew the Denver Broncos wanted a quarterback as well. They knew there was no danger of the Bears selecting another quarterback with the ninth pick, but they feared the Broncos could move up to the 10th spot in a trade with the Jets. They did not want that to happen, so the Vikings traded with the Jets, giving them the 11th pick as well as the 129th and the 157th pick. The Vikings also received the 203rd pick from the Jets.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell's greatest strength appears to be working with and developing ... [+]
McCarthy won’t have to start right away for the Vikings. He will have time to learn head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense while veteran Sam Darnold runs the offense. If McCarthy excels from the start, he could win the starting job, but he will likely need at least a half season – or more – to become the team’s QB1.
That also would have likely been the case if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could have worked a deal with the New England Patriots for the No. 3 pick in the draft. If they had done that, they would have been able to draft Maye, who was almost certainly Minnesota’s quarterback of choice.
“You lean on making sure that you feel comfortable with multiple scenarios, because that's really what it is,” O’Connell said. “J.J. has won at every level. When you really dive into the tape, and some of the things I really emphasize in my evaluation process, there was a lot to really like about J.J."
The deal with the Patriots never came to fruition. New England director of scouting Eliot Wolf wanted to make a big splash and secure a huge haul in exchange for that pick.
After all, this was his first time in charge of New England’s draft. When Adofo-Mensah did not want to pay an exorbitant price – one that likely included future first-round draft picks – the deal did not happen.
McCarthy has a chance to be special, and so does defensive end Dallas Turner. The Vikings selected Turner with the No. 17 pick, as they moved up in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In many ways, Turner may be just as necessary as McCarthy. The Vikings lost Danielle Hunter to the Houston Texans in free agency, and he is clearly one of the best pass rushers in the league. He had a career-high 16.5 sacks last season, and he has had double-digit sacks five times in his career.
Turner is capable of stepping in for Hunter and becoming a dominant pass rusher. It may take a year or two, but he is considered one of the most impactful defensive players in the draft.
The Vikings came away with an elite quarterback and a dominant defensive player. Now the Vikings coaching staff must develop that talent effectively if the Vikings are going to field a competitive team.
