J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. Speak Highly of Their Vikings Interviews
The Vikings have been at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis all week, conducting interviews with dozens of draft prospects (among other orders of business). That includes formal meetings with all of the top quarterbacks prospects in this year's class, from projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on down.
Two of the QBs who could be realistic targets for the Vikings — who hold picks No. 11 and 42 in this draft — are the two who squared off in January's national championship game: J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington). Speaking at the podium on Friday, both were asked by the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling about their meetings with the Vikings — and both had nothing but good things to say.
"It went amazing," McCarthy said. "Coach (Kevin) O'Connell led the whole thing, and just being able to see him in person, he was a lot taller than I thought. And coach (Josh) McCown...just everything about what they were talking about, everything about what they wanted out of a quarterback, it's something that aligns with what I want. Just being able to get on the board with them, have them go through their plays, it was something really special and I enjoyed it."
McCarthy has seemingly been rising up draft boards over the past month or so, to the point where he may not be available to the Vikings at 11. But if they like him, they could probably trade up into the 6-9 range to land him, instead of trying to move all the way up to No. 3 for Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. On paper, McCarthy feels like a strong option for the Vikings due to his arm talent, mobility, and track record of winning.
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It's also both notable and unsurprising to hear that McCown, who was just hired by the Vikings this week, has been heavily involved in their meetings with quarterback prospects in Indy. That was a hire that seemed to suggest that Minnesota is very strongly considering taking a QB in the first round this year.
Penix also had high praise for the Vikings when asked about his meeting with them. The Heisman finalist is projected as a borderline first or second-round pick.
"It was great," Penix said. "I feel like that's a good organization over there. I feel like they show a lot of good things, they've got a lot of good players as well. I felt very confident in that meeting."
When you think about it, the Vikings would be a pretty ideal landing spot for any quarterback in this year's draft. They've got a quality offensive staff, highlighted by O'Connell, Wes Phillips, and now McCown. They've got big-time weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson. And they've got two excellent offensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill. If they can fix their running game, they'd have a pretty perfect offensive environment for a young quarterback (or any QB, for that matter).
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