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What Vikings’ trade up in draft means for JJ McCarthy

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Ryan Bologna | Last updated 3/18/24

The Minnesota Vikings made a trade to acquire the 23rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft from the Houston Texans, giving them a second selection in the first round in addition to the 11th pick, and many believe this is telling of what the NFL thinks of Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy. Based on the way the first three picks are likely to go, a team might have to move up if it wants a quarterback, and that team will have to be comfortable selecting McCarthy, in all likelihood.

“For now, what we know is Williams will almost certainly be a Bear,” Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes. “We all know that North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are likely to go at No. 2 and 3, in some order. … Maybe Washington or New England pulls a shocker and takes McCarthy over one or both, but, for now, any team investigating a trade up to No. 4 or 5 with the Cardinals or chargers has to be comfortable with McCarthy, as well as the other two, since there’s no guarantee of anything past the likelihood Williams won’t be there.”

Breer reports that with the Vikings seemingly gearing up for a trade up from the No. 11 spot, it is a pretty good indication that JJ McCarthy has worked his way into being selected in the top 10.

What is the Vikings’ ideal outcome in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Some teams would have you believe that there are multiple scenarios that they will be happy with in the draft, but Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said as of right now, there is one preferred scenario.

“We just thought that move gave us the best flexibility for whatever can happen,” Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said, via Kevin Siefert of ESPN. “I would say at this point there is a preferred scenario but the process is ongoing.”

The question is what is that scenario? Is it McCarthy falling to them, or someone like Drake Maye dropping into a range in which the Vikings could trade up and get him? Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is very clearly a general manager that will strike on a move up into the top 10 or five depending on what is available. It will be worth monitoring reports ahead of the draft and even on draft night to see if a last-minute trade takes place.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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