It's only rookie minicamp, yet Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is already learning tough lessons.
The 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft threw an interception on Friday, the team's first day of rookie camp. He admitted afterward that it was poor judgement, ultimately, on his part and that he underestimated the abilities of the defenders that made the play.
"I'd say, you know, the splits were a little messed up. I obviously take full credit for the outcome of the play," McCarthy told reporters after practice. "Just reading it outside-in, [it] felt like I could fit it in there and force it, but at this level, they're a lot faster and a lot longer. It's great to learn, now, before the vets get here and hopefully I won't be in that situation anytime soon."
The mistakes are going to happen and now is the time to make them
The first-year QB is going to make plenty more mistakes made like Friday's - the silver lining is the fact that now, during the offseason, is the best time to make them.
All the Vikings want to see, right now and in the coming weeks, is progress when it comes to learning the system and understanding the point of each play call. They want to see him bonding with his teammates and developing his leadership skills. The real stuff can hit the fan in late July and mid-August, as training camp kicks into high gear.
"I'm looking at this where this weekend is really about preparing him to then step in with the full group next week and then a week from there, we start our first OTA with the whole group," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters. "He's doing a great job of handling everything and [I'm] just enjoying seeing the process: rep-to-rep improvement, taking coaching points from [quarterbacks coach] Josh [McCown] or [offensive coordinator] Wes [Phillips] or myself, [and] just continuing to build...
"... [It's a] total learning environment. I know some folks may be keeping track of completions and interceptions and things like that. It's too early for that conversation, I can tell you that much. It's all teachable and that's what makes this time of year so valuable. Not only for JJ, but Dallas [Turner] on the other side."
And honestly, it won't be a surprise if McCarthy uses this as fuel for his seemingly ever-burning fire. No matter how innocuous of a mistake it may be.
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