Inside The Vikings

Vikings Trade Up Three Spots For J.J. McCarthy in New Ringer Mock Draft

Would you give up a third-rounder to ensure the Vikings land McCarthy?
Will Ragatz|
Vikings Trade Up Three Spots For J.J. McCarthy in New Ringer Mock Draft
Vikings Trade Up Three Spots For J.J. McCarthy in New Ringer Mock Draft

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Minnesota Vikings

In a new mock draft from The Ringer's Danny Heifetz, the Vikings trade a third-round pick to the Falcons to move up from No. 11 to No. 8 and select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. (Heifetz lists it as a 2024 third-rounder, which the Vikings don't have because it was moved in the T.J. Hockenson trade, so let's imagine it as a 2025 third instead).

The Falcons need a quarterback too, but I believe Atlanta will be in the veteran market, trading for Bears quarterback Justin Fields before the draft or signing a QB. Minnesota is set to lose Kirk Cousins in free agency, and with just second-year Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens under contract, the Vikings are about as desperate for QB help as any team in the league. McCarthy has been knocked for being a game manager at Michigan, but he is just 21 years old and has the tools to be a star in a Shanahan-esque passing system if he gets time to develop in year one under head coach Kevin O’Connell.

If the Vikings don't make an aggressive move up to the Patriots' No. 3 pick for Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, trying to get McCarthy feels like their best bet for finding a franchise quarterback in this draft. They could take a shot on Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr., but McCarthy is much younger and might actually have both a higher floor and a higher ceiling than those two Heisman finalists. If the Vikings could get McCarthy at 11, that would be ideal. But if they really believe he's the guy, trading up to 8 (or even higher) would make sense. This move — giving up a third-rounder to go from 11 to 8 — checks out as a fair value on the trade charts.

Heifetz's mock starts out with Caleb Williams, Maye, Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr., Joe Alt, Malik Nabers, and Olu Fashanu going as the top seven picks. If the Falcons do something like trade for Justin Fields or sign Kirk Cousins, they could be willing to move back a few spots and still get a premium player (in this case, they miss on Rome Odunze by trading back but land Dallas Turner). For the Vikings, this would be less about jumping the Bears (9) and Jets (10) and more about making sure nobody else trades up to get McCarthy before they can.

2024 NFL Draft: Is Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy a Good Fit for the Vikings?

I'm on board with this move, as I think McCarthy has a lot more potential than Michigan's run-heavy offense asked him to put on display. He's got processing ability, plenty of arm talent, and the athleticism to make plays outside of structure. It also doesn't hurt that he's young, tough, and a proven winner with a high football IQ. If McCarthy pans out, it will have easily been worth giving up a third-rounder to make sure he lands in Minnesota.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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