J.J. McCarthy dubbed No. 1 NFL player entering 'superstardom'

McCarthy continues to receive high praise entering his first year as a starting NFL QB.

Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) practices during minicamp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

J.J. McCarthy is only 22 years old, and he's never started a game in the NFL, but is he the league's next superstar?

NFL Analyst Peter Schrager hosted a segment on Friday's edition of ESPN's First Take, highlighting the top five players in the NFL who are entering superstardom. He included Giants receiver Malik Nabers, Patriots QB Drake Maye, Cowboys receiver George Pickens, Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto and Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. McCarthy was notably left off the list.

Related: 'Complete player:' Vikings OC praises Jordan Mason's receiving ability

Longtime ESPN NFL personality Damien Woody quickly jumped in, saying he would put McCarthy atop the entire list at No. 1.

Peter Schrager gives his list of top 5 players entering superstardom but his Co-host felt like he just left 1 person off
JJ McCarthy

“JJ McCarthy is gonna come in & light it up”

“I would have put JJ McCarthy at 1” pic.twitter.com/OkJEb3726n

— LombardiLoading (@DijonPierre0) July 25, 2025

"J.J. McCarthy is going to come in and light it up. Got arguably the best infrastructure of any first or second-year quarterback that we've ever seen in the National Football League," he said. "Elite play calling, elite offensive line, running back, wide receiver. Trust me."

The term superstar seems to have a different meaning every week, but it's hard to argue with Woody's reasoning. McCarthy has everything he needs to succeed, so we're going to find out very quickly how good he is.

The biggest thing holding McCarthy back from other players on Schrager's list is his innexperience. It's hard to have high expectations for a play who has never appeared in a regular season game, but McCarthy's situation is dramatically better than a typical first-year quarterback.

McCarthy is performing well so far at the first week of Vikings training camp, but Justin Jefferson has pointed out that patience will be important in his development. McCarthy certainly has the potential to hit the ground running and quickly jump into stardom, but it will be important for the Vikings not to put too much on their franchise QB's plate.