Vikings expected to ‘aggressively’ pursue QB J.J. McCarthy by possibly trading up to 4th or 5th pick

In talking to NFL personnel while on the road at pro days this week, the feeling is still that the Vikings will be aggressive in trading up to the No. 4 or No. 5 spot to land the Michigan quarterback. One general manager I talked to this week said McCarthy is a top-six pick right now. Matt Miller wrote

The Vikings lost their QB Kirk Cousins in free agency since he signed a new deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, they are looking for a new QB, but they don’t have enough resources to trade up to a top spot for a QB. They would try to land one of the top-tier signal-callers in the draft, but the common belief is that the Vikings are interested in drafting the Michigan player.

They currently have two first-round picks (No.11 and No.23) in the upcoming draft and are almost guaranteed to use those picks to move up in the boards. By moving up, they would be able to rope in their future leader to replace Cousins.

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy had a good Pro Day outing

On Friday, the Wolverines held their Pro Day, headlined by their star QB J.J. McCarthy. The talented QB managed to boost his draft stocks by making some impressive throws.

During McCarthy’s drill, the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach Josh McCown stood beside him and observed keenly. Hence the impression that the Minnesota-based football team is interested in roping in the 2024 NFL Draft.

But the question is whether they would be able to move up in the boards to be in a position to draft him. On the other side, many are not buying McCarthy’s hype.

Some compare him to the New York Jets‘ QB Zach Wilson, who is currently struggling to find a home after receiving permission for a trade from his current team. Just like McCarthy, Wilson was also hyped by some ahead of the 2021 draft.