What they're saying: The Minnesota Vikings found 'their quarterback of the future' in J.J. McCarthy

Michigan Wolverines football standout J.J. McCarthy was the fifth quarterback off the board in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, being selected No. 10 overall by the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying about McCarthy to Minnesota.

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Alec Lewis, The Athletic: In J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, Vikings add potential cornerstone contributors

Once Maye was off the board, the next question seemed to be: How far would Minnesota go for McCarthy? Externally, many suggested the Vikings could pony up both of their first-rounders to move up to No. 4 or 5. One league source said that if the Vikings could not get Maye at No. 3, they’d be more likely to hover around No. 11 — multiple league sources believe the Vikings also had strong feelings about Penix — and keep No. 23 for further optionality. The thought was this: While two second-rounders might be worth more on draft pick value charts, having a first-rounder would create an incentive for other teams to call.

“If anybody above us wanted to come back,” Adofo-Mensah said, “we were their first and last phone call. We needed to make sure we were going to be that.”

In the end, the Jaguars called, and the Vikings were able to grab a difference-maker on defense. Pair that with McCarthy, whom O’Connell specifically praised for his competitiveness and performance on third-and-long for Michigan, and it was a strong night for the purple and gold.

In the end, the Vikings landed two players they hope are so transformative that the draft capital expended to acquire them is something they’ll laugh about years from now.

Alec Lewis and Larry Holder, The Athletic: Vikings draft J.J. McCarthy: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel

How he fits
The Vikings found their quarterback of the future. Once Kirk Cousins departed in free agency, signing with the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota set its sights on finding a young player O’Connell believed in and could groom. McCarthy is that guy.

The Vikings are planning to take a methodical approach to his development. That’s why they signed Sam Darnold for $10 million. How long McCarthy needs to sit and learn is likely dependent both on his training camp performance and Darnold’s overall command.

Rookie impact
Fan expectations are likely to differ from the team’s expectations. If Darnold struggles and goes multiple games with numerous interceptions, the noise to toss the young quarterback into the fire will get loud. Then it’s a matter of Vikings ownership’s willingness to trust the coaching staff, and the coaching staff’s evaluation of how close McCarthy might be to being able to contribute. This will likely hinge on the speed at which McCarthy learns O’Connell’s offense, and the potential mechanical adjustments required (in terms of his throwing motion and footwork).

Steve Silverman, Forbes: Vikings Secure Quarterback, But J.J. McCarthy Must Take Charge Of Opportunity

McCarthy has proved to be a dynamic player and a winner at the college level. He led Michigan to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff, and he helped the Wolverines come away with the national championship last season, beating Washington 34-13 in the title game.

McCarthy was labeled as the best quarterback in Michigan’s long history, and he was given that crown by Jim Harbaugh. At the time, Harbaugh was Michigan’s head coach, and now he has moved on to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, McCarthy’s skill at helping his team win games, Big Ten championships and a national championship is not necessarily based on his passing talent. He is clearly a great leader, but in the Michigan offense, he did not have to throw the ball as much as top prospects Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix or Bo Nix.

That could be an issue moving forward, but the Vikings had seen enough of a quarterback with high-level passing skill in Kirk Cousins. He had been an accurate passer for six years with the Vikings and he was both liked and respected within the Minnesota locker room. But when it came to winning big games, Cousins came up short too many times. That’s why the Vikings didn’t have an issue when he signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.

Judd Zulgad, Vikings Wire: Suspense turns to celebration after Vikings land J.J. McCarthy

Attention now will turn to what O’Connell can get out of McCarthy and when McCarthy might take over the starting role. O’Connell earned well-deserved credit for his work with Cousins, but in that case he inherited a quarterback who was well into his career.

O’Connell, a former backup quarterback in the NFL, will get the opportunity to develop the 21-year-old McCarthy from scratch. At least as a professional.

McCarthy’s critics will point to the fact he was 94th in FBS last season in passes per game at 22.1. But playing for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, McCarthy was 27-1 as a starter and helped guide the Wolverines to the national championship last season. McCarthy also had success in high school, winning two state championships at Nazareth Academy in Illinois. He won a high school national title after moving to IMG Academy for his senior season.

He’s basically won everywhere he has gone.

Will Ragatz, Inside The Vikings: In Trading Up for J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, the Vikings Swung For the Fences

McCarthy projects as a great fit in Kevin O’Connell’s offense for several reasons, including his effectiveness as a play-action passer. He takes care of the football and is capable of making high-level anticipatory throws over the middle of the field, which are important traits. He also has the ability to get outside of the pocket and make things happen when a play doesn’t go as planned. McCarthy was extremely efficient last season, completing over 72 percent of his passes, and he was at his best in big moments when his team needed a conversion. The Vikings have the option to let him sit behind Sam Darnold for a bit in 2024, but McCarthy might be ready to throw to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison right away.

La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune: Neal: McCarthy mania sweeps through Vikings draft party

Who better to lead the Vikings into a new era than a hockey-playing quarterback from the Midwest?

Fans flocked to U.S, Bank Stadium on Thursday with quarterbacks on their mind. Vikings officials said nearly 7,000 tickets were distributed for their draft party. And the playing surface was nearly full of purple-clad supporters. There was one John Elway jersey in the crowd. Poor guy.

While many fans coveted Maye, there were many who had no problem with landing McCarthy. As the draft began, a man sitting behind me pledged to remove his clothing if McCarthy was selected.

Now Vikings fans can watch J.J. throw to J.J. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson proved last year that he can catch passes from anyone. The question is, how soon can McCarthy become the starter?

Former Vikings QB Tommy Kramer approved of the selection when he wrote on X: “Even though Jim McMahon wore my number for one year, I just talked to him and we are more than happy to pass No. 9 on to J.J. McCarthy. The future looks bright, Vikings fans.”