J.J. McCarthy leading the Vikings to back-to-back victories has an unintended consequence
Winning football games and developing J.J. McCarthy are good things for the Vikings, but it comes at a cost of losing NFL Draft position.
After starting the season 4-8, the Minnesota Vikings have won two games in a row thanks to quarterback J.J. McCarthy taking a step forward. He led the Vikings to wins over the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys, including a touchdown in all eight quarters.
The biggest thing for the Vikings over the course of the season has been the development of McCarthy. He has now started eight games in his first season as a starting quarterback and has gone 4-4 in said games. It’s been a tough road for the second-year quarterback, but taking a step forward is exactly what you want to see.
Minnesota Vikings drop in NFL Draft order
While everyone is and should be excited that McCarthy has taken a major step forward, it’s not without an unintended concequence. The wins by the Vikings have dropped them in the NFL Draft order from 11th to 13th per Tankathon. Here is what the NFL Draft order looks like after Week 15.
Right now, selecting in the top 10 feels somewhat out of reach, but it is possible. The easiest path to getting into the top 10 is to lose the rest of their games. The most likely range they will select is where they currently are in the mid-teens. It’s much easier said than done, and would likely require McCarthy to take another step back. That in itself isn’t a path the Vikings want to go down.
Instead, they want to keep the momentum going and continue to build the culture that head coach Kevin O’Connell has worked hard to build during his time in Minnesota. There is a segment of the fan base that wants to get a higher draft pick at all costs. It’s a fair thing to want, especially because the higher draft pick usually means better player. However, there are more important things than that, and winning will always mean more, even if the games don’t.
The Vikings taking a step forward is a good thing, even if the draft pick suffers.
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