Kevin O'Connell's latest comments show why the Vikings will probably draft J.J. McCarthy
The 2024 NFL Draft is a QB party and the Minnesota Vikings are clearly trying to join in on the fun.That became clear when they traded for the Houston Texans' 23rd overall pick. Now, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the ammo he needs to move up and snag what he hopes is the Vikings' quarterback for the […]
The 2024 NFL Draft is a QB party and the Minnesota Vikings are clearly trying to join in on the fun.
That became clear when they traded for the Houston Texans' 23rd overall pick. Now, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the ammo he needs to move up and snag what he hopes is the Vikings' quarterback for the next 10-12 years.
Adofo-Mensah will have to move up to four if he wants to get one of the top QBs in the draft and that will likely be former Michigan quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, a prospect that has been soaring up draft boards, lately.
McCarthy's ascension is due to the fact that more and more teams are falling in love with the intangibles and grit aspects of his game. The guy doesn't shrink in the big moments or when the lights come on. In fact, it only heightens his game and abilities.
That, on top of a championship pedigree, a strong arm, and a good mechanics, have led many to believe McCarthy will go as high as No. 4 overall (after a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, of course).
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was recently asked his opinion on the most important trait a quarterback can have and sure enough, his reply was very reminiscent of McCarthy's best feature.
"You got to know how that personality is going to fit within our locker room," O'Connell said on NFL Network's The Insiders. "Me personally, I want to know who's gonna be my partner in building our offense, day-in and day-out for the foreseeable future… Film is always going to be the driving force behind it, but I do feel you can get a great feel for a guy [and] what his makeup is. Does he love football? Does he have the capacity to handle some things from an intelligence standpoint – football intelligence.
"Does he have the emotional intelligence to lead your team and understand what that's like in a 2024 NFL locker room? Because there's a lot of moving parts and things that go with that."
The Vikings do have Sam Darnold on board, but O'Connell still referred to the Vikings' quarterback situation as "ongoing" during the interview. And, even with Jerod Mayo's comments on the New England Patriots' willingness to trade out of No. 3, it's still unlikely they trade out, in my opinion. Someone will have to pay a king's ransom in order to move to No. 3 and even then, they'll be picking the third-best QB option, even if that is still a good option.
Therefore, the most likely spot for the Vikings is No. 4, which means McCarthy would be the next guy up. And based off what O'Connell said, the Vikings head coach would be just fine with that scenario.
