The Minnesota Vikings plan to bolster their quarterback depth beyond Sam Darnold in the NFL draft; but, the questions of which player to select and with what pick are yet unanswered and might have significant ramifications.
Minnesota has the No. 11 overall pick, and failing to trade up will severely hurt the team’s chances of selecting one of the top three or four players in a competitive 2024 class. On Friday, April 5, ESPN’s Matt Bowen stated that the Vikings were his “favorite team fit” for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and that they could be able to sign him without having to make an expensive trade up the draft board.
Since he guided the Wolverines to a national championship, McCarthy’s draft status has increased.
Though it’s unclear where the Chicago Bears will pick after that, it seems likely that they will choose Jacob Williams with the first overall choice. A portion of this obscurity is intentional, since clubs such as the Washington Commanders (ranked No. 2) and the New England Patriots (ranked No. 3) stand to gain from deceitful tactics such as boosting or outright fabricating interest in prospects in order to obtain greater leverage in trade negotiations with teams like Minnesota.
While noting in the same story that some close to the case believe the man in Washington will almost definitely be Jayden Daniels, Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported probable interest in McCarthy on behalf of the Commanders in late March.
About a week and a half later, KFAN commentator Ben Leber, a former Vikings linebacker, made accusations
“JJ McCarthy’s popularity among the public lately is just the Patriots raising the price of the #3 spot,” Leber said on X.
Vikings Have a Good Chance of Trading Into the Top 5 to Land a Top-4 QB
The Vikings may be able to get a top-four quarterback prospect if they can trade their way into the top five of the draft, though McCarthy may not be that player.
Field Yates of ESPN predicted last week that Minnesota will trade with the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 and choose McCarthy there in his most recent mock draft.
In order to move up to No. 5 for the class’ QB4, Yates noted, “I have the Vikings sending [pick] Nos. 11 and 23 this year and an additional 2025 first-rounder to the Chargers.” With Sam Darnold tagging along for 2024, Minnesota would depend on McCarthy’s exceptional ball placement and movement to help him develop into its long-term answer.
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