The Minnesota Vikings seem intent on trading up to select their franchise quarterback of the future in this year’s draft.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah previously acquired the No. 23 overall pick in a trade with the Houston Texans, in all likelihood to use as fuel to get to the top of the board to select a quarterback capable of leading playoff charges for years to come.
Could the Minnesota Vikings Trade for J.J. McCarthy?
In Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft, not only do the Vikings pull off a blockbuster trade, but emerge from the 2024 NFL Draft with Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy after a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
After Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels go off the board with the first three picks, PFF’s Max Chadwick projects a deal where the Vikings trade the No. 11, and No. 23 pick in this year’s draft as well as a 2025 third-round pick to the Chargers in exchange for pick No. 5.
“The Vikings trading for the No. 23 pick in March,” Chadwick writes. “signaled that they were doing so to likely move up and take a quarterback. While J.J. McCarthy has some work to do before he can reach his ceiling, it’s hard to find a better environment for him to flourish than Minnesota. As a bonus, Harbaugh gets to be the one to send his former quarterback to a fantastic situation and make him a top-five pick.”
For the Vikings, the deal would net a quarterback they hope they can build around to challenge the likes of the Detroit Lions and ascending Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles would have additional draft capital either to add multiple first-round picks around Chargers franchise quarterback Justin Herbert, or, to move back up to get one of the top receivers and still have added draft capital in 2025.
Jim Harbaugh Offers Ringing J.J. McCarthy Endorsement
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh certainly boosted McCarthy’s draft stock this spring.
Harbaugh, who coached McCarthy in Ann Arbor, believes the former Michigan standout is the top quarterback in this year’s class.
“He’s the best quarterback in this draft,” Harbaugh told reporters at the NFL Annual Meeting. “He plays quarterback the best of all the quarterbacks. He’s a winner.”
Harbaugh isn’t alone in his optimism for McCarthy.
Former NFL Executive of The Year, Randy Mueller, suggests McCarthy belongs squarely in the conversation alongside USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, and North Carolina’s Drake Maye as this year’s premier quarterback prospect.
“You better put J.J. McCarthy in that top group of quarterbacks,” Mueller recently told me. “Because he may have the biggest ceiling of all of them.
“He crushed it in Indy, and he actually crushed it on film, it’s just taking certain people a while to catch up and realize.”
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