The Minnesota Vikings took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, moving up one spot in a trade with the New York Jets to make sure they didn’t miss out on their most dire need.
The Vikings then made a bigger jump later in the first round from No. 23 to 17 in a swap with the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.
The departure of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons left a void — and an opportunity that Vikings leadership has been strategizing about for two-plus years.
McCarthy, a La Grange Park native who played three years at Nazareth Academy, went 27-1 as a college starter on a defense-driven and run-first team that raised questions about the 6-foot-2, 219-pound passer’s potential. He completed an FBS-best 68% of his attempts under pressure last season and set the program record with a 72.3% completion percentage overall.
After Caleb Williams (USC) went to the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels (LSU) went to the Washington Commanders and Drake Maye (North Carolina) followed to the New England Patriots with the first three selections, the Falcons pulled the first surprise by picking Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) with the eighth pick to develop behind Cousins.
That put the Vikings in danger of having a team like the quarterback-needy Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders leapfrogging them, so they executed a swap with the Jets to ensure they would get McCarthy. The Vikings sent fourth- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 129 and 157) to the Jets for a sixth-rounder (No. 203) to complete the deal.
“That’s where he wanted to go. That’s where he had his heart set. I’m just so happy for him,” said Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who led McCarthy and the Wolverines to the national championship last season. “I love him like a son. I was praying and pulling for it to work out the way he wanted it to work out, and the stars aligned. Minnesota got themselves a great player.”
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired as Vikings general manager and two weeks later picked a quarterback expert in Kevin O’Connell as coach, the Vikings had been aiming for this day with a deep rookie class at the position and the team at a crossroad following an NFC North title with a 13-4 record in their 2022 debut and a 7-10 finish in 2023.
The highest the Vikings had drafted a quarterback was Daunte Culpepper at No. 11 in 1999. They’ve used a first-round pick on a quarterback only four other times in the franchise’s 63-year history, with Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32) in 2014, Christian Ponder (No. 12) in 2011 and Tommy Kramer (No. 27) in 1977 the others. Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton was a third-rounder in 1961, though he was the 29th pick at that time when the NFL had only 14 teams.
With O’Connell, a former NFL quarterback who directed two of the best seasons Cousins has had in 12 years in the league, calling the plays from the sideline and superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson headlining a talented offense around him, the Vikings have a favorable environment for the 21-year-old McCarthy. They signed Sam Darnold, the 2018 No. 3 by the New York Jets, to bridge the gap and reduce the pressure on the rookie to develop quickly.
McCarthy was widely seen as the most pro-ready of the prospects, thanks to his combination of leadership, intelligence and toughness. Still, there’s no guarantee the Vikings got the right guy, given the track record across the NFL of success by first-round quarterbacks is essentially a coin-flip proposition.
The Vikings added the 23rd pick in a recent trade with the Houston Texans for their second-round picks this year and next year. They don’t currently own a second-day selection, minimizing their opportunity to add starting-caliber players and increasing the pressure to hit a home run in the first round. With offense accounting for the first 14 picks, the Vikings were in position to add a premier player on defense.
Once defenders started to fall off the board, the Vikings executed the deal with the Jaguars by sending their fifth-rounder (No. 167) and third- and fourth-round picks in 2025. Turner was a first-team All-American with the Crimson Tide who tied for eighth in the FBS with 10 sacks last season.
After letting Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport depart in free agency, the Vikings signed Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel before adding Turner in a quick rebound to restock that vital position group.
