The Minnesota Vikings made a trade this week with the Houston Texans to get the 23rd overall pick, presumably to move up for a quarterback. In the latest mock draft from Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire, they get that quarterback without having to move up.
Popejoy has the Vikings staying at 11th overall and taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
After losing Kirk Cousins to the Falcons, quarterback becomes the team’s top priority and J.J. McCarthy is a mature, productive quarterback with all the intangibles.
McCarthy has been a very popular pick for the Vikings. He isn’t just popular, but is the most popular pick with 43 total selections in the first 10 weeks. Second through fourth place are edge rushers.
It would be a really interesting pick for the Vikings to take McCarthy. Despite not having the same type of production or in-game experience throwing the football, McCarthy has flashed brilliance in many areas that translate to the National Football League, especially on third down.
Will he have to sit to get to his potential? That remains to be seen, but the potential is there.
