The Minnesota Vikings drafted quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Michigan Wolverines 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. They traded up one spot to get him. McCarthy was one of the most polarizing draft prospects this offseason. He is only 21 years old and there were some rumors of him going as high as number two to the Washington Commanders.

J.J. McCarthy won a National Championship last season with the Michigan Wolverines. In 15 games with Michigan last season, he completed 72.3% of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also rushed for 202 yards on 64 carries and three touchdowns, along with averaging 3.2 yards per carry.

A lot of people were saying that he had a stacked roster at Michigan last season. He had a great running game behind him, a tremendous offensive line, and a solid defense. The NFL will be a whole different ball game for McCarthy in 2024 and beyond.

Alec Lewis Of The Athletic Reports That J.J. McCarthy Of the Minnesota Vikings Has Yet To Take Any Snaps With the First Team Offense

On Wednesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic mentioned the things he saw in Week 1 of training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. One of the things he saw was that Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has yet to take snaps with the first-team offense. Lewis also added:

“He has mostly been throwing to receivers Jalen Nailor, Lucky Jackson and Trishton Jackson throughout the first week. His mechanics look more polished than they did this spring. Throwing left? Not a consistent problem. Heaving it deep? McCarthy connected with Trishton Jackson Tuesday afternoon on a 50-yard strike down the field against the first-team defense.

But by no means has he been perfect. On Tuesday, he sailed a couple of attempts toward the sideline. Maintaining the same base and timing against a pass rush is the current focus. Progress is the goal, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell, not perfection.

McCarthy has had no trouble gelling with teammates. After Monday’s practice, he dapped up running back Aaron Jones on the field and chatted with Jones’ young son. On Tuesday, McCarthy lobbed a fade toward Lucky Jackson in the red zone. Jackson dropped the ball, but McCarthy found him a few seconds later and patted him on the helmet.”

At some point, it will be interesting to see if J.J. McCarthy will get reps with the first-team offense. It would be fun to see him throw passes to wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. For now, McCarthy will be the backup quarterback on the roster.

Sam Darnold is in line to be the Week 1 starter for the Minnesota Vikings against the New York Giants. At some point, head coach Kevin O’Connell could give the first-team reps to J.J. McCarthy in camp, but Minnesota is playing this smart here.