J.J. McCarthy now betting favorite to be selected by Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft
In the world of NFL Draft betting odds things can change quickly. As of mid-morning on Monday, February 12th J.J. McCarthy was just another name among many in the mix for the Minnesota Vikings to select in the 2024 NFL Draft. By Monday evening? McCarthy was the heavy favorite to be selected at +250. That […]
In the world of NFL Draft betting odds things can change quickly. As of mid-morning on Monday, February 12th J.J. McCarthy was just another name among many in the mix for the Minnesota Vikings to select in the 2024 NFL Draft. By Monday evening? McCarthy was the heavy favorite to be selected at +250.
That caught the eye of several NFL Draft experts across the country, including Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Pros and Betting Pros as you can see in his post outlining the timeline of the odds shift.
For those unfamiliar, +250 odds is the equivalent to about 29%. So, the betting markets are putting nearly a one-in-three shot on Michigan's former quarterback and national champion J.J. McCarthy to be a Minnesota Viking here soon.
That may seem fairly aggressive since the 2024 NFL Draft isn't until late April, but it makes sense if the Vikings are indeed interested given their draft capital positioning.
The Vikings have both picks 11 and 42. Most recent mock draft data suggests that McCarthy is a consensus late first round pick with his draft range peak being right around the Vikings at 11, and the low end coming around the end of round two. The Vikings might just be perfectly situated to acquire McCarthy.
They could reach for him in the mid-first if they really wanted to, trade down to make the selection, trade up from 42, or simply wait for him to drop to their second round pick. Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), and Jayden Daniels (LSU) are all going to be gone by the middle of round one. That much seems like a lock at the moment. But! If Bo Nix, (Oregon), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), and McCarthy start to slide the Vikings could have several potential windows in attempting to acquire McCarthy.
This will be a situation to monitor as the NFL Draft approaches, but for now it looks like J.J. McCarthy may be the heir to Kirk Cousins at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
