The Athletic’s Dane Brugler gave us his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft, which was filled with chaos. Trades throughout the mock led to some thought-provoking results, including for the Minnesota Vikings. Brugler has Minnesota trading up to the seventh selection to take Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.
Projected trade: Vikings send No. 11, No. 109 and a 2025 second-rounder to the Titans for No. 7
Bringing back Cousins and drafting McCarthy is the ideal outcome for the Vikings, as that would bridge the short-term with the long-term at the roster’s most important position. But with Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans and maybe a few other teams potentially in the McCarthy market, it might require a trade up for Minnesota to nab the Michigan quarterback.
Brugler stresses that his mocks are determined not by what he would do but by what he hears from credible sources. After a week in Indianapolis, Brugler had probably heard more than enough.
The fit for McCarthy into Kevin O’Connell’s offense would be seamless, but McCarthy is not ready to take the reins just yet. A transition from Kirk Cousins to McCarthy is the best-case scenario as long as Cousins is amenable to the handoff.
