The Minnesota Vikings made their first selection of the 2024 NFL Draft by taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at 10th overall.
The quarterback position has been a priority for the Vikings ever since they allowed Kirk Cousins to leave in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings did sign Sam Darnold but that isn't a move for the future.
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McCarthy led Michigan to a National Championship and two College Football Playoff appearances. There is a lot to like with his profile. McCarthy has experience in a pro-style dropback offense while possessing the ability to create outside of structure and use his legs to take advantage of defenses. There are some real questions about his experience but the ceiling is there.
Analysts across the league graded the Vikings selection of McCarthy and they are mostly positive.
J.J. McCarthy 2024 NFL Draft grades
NFL.com's Chad Reuter: A-
The Vikings moved up one spot to grab McCarthy, presumably to box out Denver and Las Vegas. He did not throw 40 times per game in Michigan's run-heavy offense, but he has plenty of arm, excellent mobility and accuracy throwing to either side of the field. He can surprise with his open-field speed, and his ability to win games at the high school and collegiate levels carries weight with NFL teams. While not a physical specimen, he is similarly built to C.J. Stroud and other quarterbacks recently drafted with top-10 picks. The Vikings made a pre-draft trade with the Texans to get a second first-round selection (23rd overall) and then moved up from that spot to nab Turner. His 4.46 40 turned heads at the combine, but he still fell, thanks to the rush for quarterbacks and likely also because of his average size for the position (6-2 3/4-inch, 247 pounds). He uses that low center of gravity and 34 3/8-inch arms to separate from blockers playing the run and long-arm them into the quarterback when in pass-rush mode. He's a very good value at 17, even though today's trade ate away at the team's mid-round capital, both this year and next. This draft is lean at edge rusher, and the Vikings decided to go for it.
USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: B-
J.J. McCarthy: B-
Minnesota didn't have to give up a bounty to secure its quarterback. That's a significant victory given the tough spot this franchise is in as it tries to reset while simultaneously competing. Still, it's fair to feel underwhelmed with McCarthy as the successor to Kirk Cousins. Not only is the signal-caller somewhat of a mystery box after his time at Michigan, he's also not the drastic stylistic shift from Cousins that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seemed intrigued by and that the team could have gotten from, say, Drake Maye. The setup for McCarthy is quite promising, though, as Kevin O'Connell can help him play efficiently early in his career with tons of play action and intermediate throws. And it doesn't hurt to have Justin Jefferson to bail him out.
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski: A
Kudos, Minnesota Vikings. They didn't bite on all the rumor-mongering about McCarthy going much higher in the draft. Instead of moving their extra first-round pick to trade up into the top five, the Vikings flipped fourth- and fifth-round picks to move up one spot, while getting a sixth-rounder back.
McCarthy moves into an awesome situation with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at wide receiver as well as T.J. Hockenson at tight end. The 21-year-old will also get to work with head coach/offensive play-caller Kevin O'Connell and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, both of whom played quarterback in the NFL
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco: C+
They had to fill the quarterback spot, so it makes sense to take McCarthy. I don't love him as much as others do, but it will be interesting to see how Kevin O'Connell and company will make it work.
Fox Sports' Rob Rang: B+
A dominant defense and run-heavy offense provided McCarthy limited opportunities to pad his stats, but when he was called upon to make important throws, he showed zip, accuracy, mobility and mettle. He does not possess the howitzer of some of the other quarterbacks of this class. However, leadership and charisma matter at quarterback, and McCarthy has perhaps the best combination of that in this year's class. Few would recognize that more than a former quarterback — like Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Yahoo! Sports' Staff: B+
Getting the quarterback without having to move up too far in the draft is a solid result for the Vikings. It may not be the quarterback they originally wanted, but it's still a solid prospect to build around and he's walking into a great situation.
Sports Illustrated's Cory Kinnan and Tyler Forness: B-
We have a fifth quarterback off the board! Michigan's J.J. McCarthy is heading to the Minnesota Vikings after a small trade-up with the New York Jets. It's better than drafting an inaccurate 24-year-old quarterback to sit for two years behind a quarterback you just committed at least $90 million to. While the Vikings miss out on Maye, they at least get a yound 21-year-old for Kevin O'Connell to work with and develop into their future starting quarterback.
