J.J. McCarthy: 'Every QB in the class that I interacted with wanted to go to Minnesota'

Former Michigan Wolverines football quarterback J.J. McCarthy, a Chicago-area native, is staying in the midwest, with the Minnesota Vikings picking him No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft.

The former hockey player is also headed to the State of Hockey to play for a head coach in Kevin O’Connell that’s a former quarterback with an elite wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and a defense that ranked in the top half of the league in points allowed per game last season.

In short, McCarthy is going to what he calls a “perfect destination” — the one he and other quarterback prospects wanted all along.

“It’s funny, if I could choose, if this was the college recruiting process, that would be the guys that I would be going to,” McCarthy said of the Vikings. “But every QB in the class that I interacted with wanted to go to Minnesota. So it’s just an amazing honor to be able to be selected to this great organization and this great culture that I’m excited to be a part of.

“I think it’s everything that Coach O’Connell is building. The culture, just the man he is and everything that he wants in a football team. People want to be a part of that, people want to be surrounded by, obviously, the great talent that’s around the offense and the great offensive mind that Coach O’Connell is.”

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McCarthy and O’Connell met for an hour in Ann Arbor during the pre-draft process, and both came away impressed with each other. McCarthy played for a former NFL signal-caller in Jim Harbaugh over the last three seasons, and he senses that he’ll have a similar relationship with his new head coach to the one he had with the Wolverines.

“I would say the film room and the way he presents the install, the way he compartmentalizes everything about how to look at this play individually and how to make it more relatable to what your knowledge is and how you can smoothly and efficiently step into this playbook,” McCarthy said of what stood out about his meeting with O’Connell. “That was something that was truly unique, because you go around so many defensive coaches like [Washington Commanders head coach] Dan Quinn, [New England Patriots head man] Jerod Mayo, and being able to have that relationship as former QB-current QB, it’s truly special and it means a lot.

“Coming from Michigan with Coach Harbaugh, having that experience before, there’s a lot more understanding and a lot more empathy with the situations that you go through and the obstacles that you overcome. Being able to sit in the film room with him, it was invaluable.”

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said after the draft that McCarthy’s “superpower” is his emotional intelligence. For the Michigan quarterback, relationships are paramount to achieve success on the field.

“To be able to connect with the teammates, connect with the coaches, that’s the most important thing because you’re going to war every single Sunday, and you gotta have each other’s back, you gotta be able to trust one another in that foxhole,” McCarthy said. “That’s something that I feel like is the foundation.”

McCarthy was on a video call with Vikings reporters from his draft party at a family friend’s house in Van Buren Township. While speaking with the media, McCarthy had to decline a call from NHL legend Wayne Gretzky — with whom he’s been connected through one of his marketing agents — which was fitting considering his background in hockey and destination with the Vikings.

“He hit me up on FaceTime right after the national championship, January 9,” McCarthy revealed. “Just being able to sit there and be a witness to the greatness that is spreading his appreciation to what I was able to do and what I was able to represent, it meant so much because, obviously, growing up he was one of my GOATS and on the Mount Rushmore. I give credit to him because he inspired me so much.

“Just being able to go to a state in the Midwest … I’m a midwest guy. To go to the state that lives, breathes and eats hockey and football, it’s just a perfect fit, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”