Vikings' Brass to Attend Private Workout With J.J. McCarthy Next Week
The Vikings are going to see a lot of J.J. McCarthy this month.
Quarterbacks coaches Josh McCown and Grant Udinski will be in Ann Arbor to watch McCarthy throw during Michigan's pro day on Friday, according to SI's Albert Breer. Then, next week, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will make the trip to put McCarthy through a private workout on campus.
The team should come out of those two events with an even better idea about whether or not they want to make McCarthy their next franchise quarterback. They've already been doing extensive homework on him for a while, including meeting with him at the combine.
The Vikings' Friday trade with the Texans — which saw them add another first-round pick in this year's draft — has them poised to move up into the top five for a quarterback. They're undoubtedly talking to the Commanders and the Patriots, gauging the possibility of a move into the top three for Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. But those teams have plenty of incentive to stay put and take those quarterbacks themselves, depending on their evaluations.
It feels like the floor for Minnesota has to be landing McCarthy, who is a slightly polarizing prospect but feels like a great fit for O'Connell's offense. Despite not being asked to throw at high volume in Michigan's offense, the 21-year-old appears to have the physical and mental tools to become a successful NFL QB.
If they can't go get Maye or Daniels, the Vikings presumably won't want to risk waiting for McCarthy to fall to them at 11. If they were to do that, and McCarthy went 6th to the Giants — or if a team like the Broncos or Raiders made a move to jump Minnesota — the Vikings would be left to ponder taking Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix later in the first round. The safest bet for landing McCarthy is trading up to 4 with the Cardinals, who already have a quarterback. The Vikings could go up to 5 in a deal with the Chargers, but that would leave the door open for a Giants-Cardinals swap that lands McCarthy in New York.
Speculatively, one imagines Adofo-Mensah made the move with the Texans on Friday because he already knows he can at least get up to the fourth pick in a trade with Arizona. In the meantime, he's going to see if it's possible to get even higher than that, but at a minimum, he knows the Vikings will be able to go get McCarthy. Again, that's just speculation.
Breer's whole article detailing Kirk Cousins' exit from Minnesota and the process that landed him with the Falcons is very much worth reading.
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