Mel Kiper believes Minnesota Vikings trading to No. 5 for J.J. McCarthy would be ‘overdrafting’

There are very few prospects who have become more divisive in the 2024 NFL Draft than Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Now, with McCarthy seeming to move up draft boards, NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper shared some thoughts on him. In particular, he explained why the Minnesota Vikings trading up to No. 5 to draft McCarthy, as Field Yates suggested in his latest mock draft, would be overdrafting him.

“Little bit [concerned]. It is overdrafting a quarterback,” Kiper said. “I had him at 14. I know others have him even lower than that. So, that protects you against doing exactly that, but Minnesota made that move to get 11 and 23, the 23rd pick for a reason, to move up.”

One idea that Mel Kiper had was that it would make sense for McCarthy’s former college coach Jim Harbaugh, now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, to trade back with Minnesota to accumulate picks and help send McCarthy to a good spot with Minnesota.

“And, for Jim Harbaugh, JJ McCarthy is his guy and JJ McCarthy can benefit the Chargers by the fact that somebody like Minnesota will move up, keeps him in Big Ten country. Michigan to the Minnesota Vikings. That allows Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers to get a couple picks. They need a tackle and a receiver. Now, it does take them out of a situation to get an elite wideout, but they do get a receiver at some point because of the depth at that spot,” Kiper said.

“But certainly for JJ I do think it’s a little high at that spot in terms of the elite players in this Draft. I think he’s more of a mid-first. So, if you grade him there, like I do, you don’t take him up in that rarefied air of the top five or six of the first round.”

This is a deep draft, especially on the offensive side of the ball. However, quarterback remains the most important position and teams are desperate to find theirs, so it’s a position that tends to get taken earlier in the draft than others.

Minnesota has talent but needs a quarterback. So, it’s easy to see the appeal in going and getting one they might be excited about.

Matt Miller ‘cannot see a world’ where JJ McCarthy falls past Denver Broncos at No. 12

Despite there being mixed feelings about J.J. McCarthy this year, NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller can’t imagine he falls past the Denver Broncos at 12th overall.

“They are rolling right now with Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. No disrespect to either guy, but they had not made an addition,” Miller said.

“I look at Denver and say maybe JJ McCarthy doesn’t go top five. Maybe the new York Giants even say we added Drew Lock, the last time Daniel Jones is healthy we made the playoffs. …I cannot see a world in which JJ McCarthy gets past the Denver Broncos at 12 just by virtue of what they haven’t done in this offseason. I think 12 is a floor for JJ and the ceiling might be two. I can’t see a scenario where he doesn’t get past 12, especially with Sean Payton is going to coach you very hard.”