With the Minnesota Vikings moving on from Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason, they needed to draft a new franchise guy.
That guy ended up being national champion signal-caller J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan.
He was selected at No. 10 overall after Minnesota traded up with the help of the New York Jets.
The team was not just interested in McCarthy, apparently.
According to insiders Tom Pelissero and Albert Breer, Minnesota had six quarterbacks that they were interested in on their draft board.
Those names that they were interested in were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix.
Between @AlbertBreer and what @TomPelissero said the other day, you can finally piece together how the #Vikings had the top 6 QBs ranked on their draft board 🧐
1️⃣Caleb Williams
2️⃣Jayden Daniels
3️⃣Drake Drunk
4️⃣J.J. McCarthy
5️⃣Michael Penix Jr.
6️⃣Bo Nix“As for how the teams had… pic.twitter.com/k2w7iilA8N
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 2, 2024
With Williams, Daniels, Maye, and Penix Jr. all going within the top eight selections, Minnesota pulled the trigger on McCarthy at No. 10.
The Michigan man was particularly efficient and consistent while playing in Ann Arbor.
In his two seasons starting, he threw a total of 44 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions.
He also had a career passer efficiency rating of over 160.0.
Now heading to play for Kevin O’Connell, he will have his work cut out for him with all of the talent on the Vikings’ roster.
Particularly on offense, McCarthy will have All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, ascending pass-catcher Jordan Addison, Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, and all-purpose running back Aaron Jones at his disposal.
He is going to need to be on his game from the start if he wants to be the actual starter.
For now, it might be Sam Darnold’s show while McCarthy gets up to speed in the offense.
NEXT:
Analyst Has Strong Belief On Who Will Be Vikings Starter In Week 1