Former Vikings GM believes Minnesota will 'overpay' to land J.J. McCarthy in 2024 NFL Draft

A former Minnesota Vikings general manager believes the team will do everything it can to land J.J. McCarthy in this year’s draft. Rick Spielman recently appeared on the With the First Pick podcast and revealed what the Vikings could do to get their franchise quarterback.

“They’re (the Vikings) going to have to give (picks 11 and 23) and their 2025 first, plus some more draft capital,” Spielman said, per Vikings Wire. “I think J.J. (McCarthy) will be a good pro, but Minnesota will overpay to get him. At this point, they don’t have a choice (given their current QB room).”

It’s possible the Vikings could stay at No. 11 and get the former Michigan Wolverines quarterback. But the team may not want to take that risk since McCarthy has been getting a lot of love recently. Field Yates of ESPN believes the Vikings will trade up to No. 5 overall to draft McCarthy.

“Minnesota would be betting on McCarthy’s combination of very good ball placement and mobility helping him become its long-term answer, with Sam Darnold in tow for 2024 if McCarthy needs time to get his feet wet,” Yates wrote. “The supporting cast in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and an elite offensive tackle duo give him a shot for serious early success.”

J.J. McCarthy is ready for the NFL

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said McCarthy is the ‘most NFL-ready quarterback’ in the 2024 NFL Draft. “The reason why I do think McCarthy is equipped, skillset, to go in and play at a consistent level is 1. The difference between college and the NFL as a quarterback is you go into college, everybody’s around the same age and everybody has basically the same daily experience,” Orlovsky said on First Take. “You go into the NFL, and you go from 21 years old to 35 years old. And not everybody has the same daily experience.

“So you better be capable and ready to walk in as an adult in the room. I think J.J.’s experience at the Michigan program allows him to do that. The second thing is, you have to have an alpha personality to control that locker room and to lead that locker room. I think being around coach Harbaugh gives him the opportunity to do that.”

McCarthy had a memorable career at Michigan. He lost only one game as a starter and led his team to a national championship this past season. McCarthy finished the 2023 season with 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 72.3.