The Athletic’s Diante Lee released his mock draft just ahead of the NFL’s legal tampering period starting today. As teams hammer out deals, one of the major questions is who will be the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings next season.
According to Lee, Minnesota has at least one direction they can go to as they trade up with the New York Giants to acquire Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.
Projected trade: Vikings send No. 11, No. 128 and a 2025 first-round pick to the Giants for No. 6 and 2025 third- and fifth-round picks
It seems inevitable that a QB-needy team will leapfrog Atlanta (or which team ultimately holds the eighth pick) to ensure the next best prospect is still there.
I have my qualms with the passer McCarthy is right now, relative to his draft stock, but he has some enticing tools — and he’s still early on his developmental curve. He would walk into a healthy offensive situation, and it’s possible Minnesota will have a bridge QB he can sit behind until he’s ready. After Chicago, this would be the best landing spot for a rookie QB.
With the future of Kirk Cousins floating in the air, Minnesota will continue to be in the conversations of trade-ups and other aggressive moves to address the position. McCarthy is a far cry from a ready-made prospect. At only 21 years old, he is a raw prospect who could use a year to sit and learn how to be an NFL quarterback. Whether that’s behind Kirk or a stop-gap quarterback is the question that needs to be answered.
