NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Vikings' first-round pick at No. 11
The 2024 NFL Draft is only 11 days away. Last year, the Titans took OL Peter Skoronski 11th overall. This year, Minnesota owns the 11th pick and 23rd pick. Here’s who experts think they'll take first.
Spoiler alert: They’re all quarterbacks.
NFL.com (Bucky Brooks ): Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Brooks readily admits it would take a move up the board to land Maye but offers no details of what a potential deal might look like. Most people have North Carolina’s QB going to Washington at No. 2 or the Patriots at No. 3, but if GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can pull it off, the Vikings could give Detroit a run for its money in the NFC North.
Maye finished his college career as the Tar Heels' all-time leading passer with 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,147 yards and 16 scores in two years as a starter. He’d look pretty good in purple and gold and with a pair of first-round picks, Minnesota has the draft capital to get it done.
NFL.com (Lance Zierlein): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Zierlein also has the Vikings moving up to take a quarterback, but taking McCarthy at No. 4 after the Giants trade into the No. 3 spot for Maye.
Once considered a mid-to-late first-round pick, McCarthy showed a strong arm at the NFL Scouting Combine while quarterbacks like Maye and USC’s Caleb Williams chose not to throw.
McCarthy threw for 5,710 yards and 44 touchdowns in two years as a starter with Michigan. That and a national championship bode well for McCarthy’s future, but Zierlein remains cautious.
“He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet.”
Altogether, Zierlein considers McCarthy a “boom-or-bust” prospect in need of patient coaching to reach his potential.
ESPN (Mel Kiper Jr.): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Kiper doesn’t rule out the possibility of a trade but thinks Minnesota can sit tight at No. 11 and still get McCarthy. He rates the former Wolverine as the fourth-best quarterback in this year's draft but well behind prospects at other positions.
“McCarthy is the No. 21 prospect on my Big Board, but I can see why some teams would covet him much higher. He has intriguing physical traits and can make every throw.”
Michigan ran a run-heavy offense with McCarthy, but that won’t be the case in Minnesota. As long as he makes all his throws to Justin Jefferson, McCarthy will be just fine.
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