The Minnesota Vikings trade up, once again, for a chance at a franchise quarterback in the latest mock draft from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm released his mock draft 2.0 as we are only a month away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft. The large amount of talent in this draft, especially in the first round, makes it difficult for analysts not to project some trades throughout their mocks.
Edholm is no different.
In his most recent mock, he projected several trades in the first round, including one in the top five. The Minnesota Vikings jump from No. 11 to No. 4 to take North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Adding a second first-rounder via trade was key for the Vikings, providing Minnesota with the currency to entice an Arizona team that is very much open for business, given that Monti Ossenfort and Co. have several needs to fill. The Vikes can still upgrade the offensive line, defense and wide receiver later in the draft, but in Round 1, they pounce on Maye, who might have the most upside of the entire QB bunch.
The NFL’s worst-kept secret is that the Vikings have been looking to move up in this draft to snag one of the top quarterbacks, speculation that only grew with their acquisition of the No. 23 pick from the Houston Texans.
The question becomes whether a team will look at Minnesota’s offer and not resist the opportunity to add up to three first-round picks, including two in this loaded draft.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Minnesota Vikings trade up for a quarterback and select J.J. McCarthy at fourth overall.
The Minnesota Vikings are going to be trading up a lot in mock drafts over the next five weeks. This number was bound to spike up after they acquired the 23rd overall pick from the Houston Texans.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah got the memo and provided some chaos in his latest mock draft. He had the Vikings trading up for the fourth overall pick with the Houston Texans to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Now the fun really begins. After their recent trade with the Texans, it seems the Vikings are situated to aggressively move up to draft Kirk Cousins’ replacement. The Cardinals trade down, bypassing a chance to pick the first receiver off the board, but they address the position later in Round 1 (SEE: Pick No. 23).
This will likely be the most popular selection over the next five weeks because of what head coach Kevin O’Connell values in his quarterbacks. He also is filled with upside due to how Michigan used him while in college.
Is he the right option for the Vikings? That remains to be seen, but it’s not out of the question.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the Minnesota Vikings taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy without having to trade up in the NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings are hot on the trail of a quarterback of the future. After acquiring 23 overall from the Houston Texans, that idea has picked up even more steam.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his third mock draft of the 2024 draft cycle with the Vikings getting their quarterback of the future in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. Here’s the catch: they didn’t have to trade up for him.
The Vikings are now the most interesting team in this draft. They just acquired another first-round pick in a deal with the Texans (No. 23), giving them the capital to move up and take a quarterback if they got the opportunity. But how far could they move up? Remember, it takes two sides to make a trade. Would the Giants want to risk missing out on one of the top receivers? Would the Titans want to risk missing out on their preferred tackle? Would the Falcons or Bears want to risk not getting the edge rusher they like? There’s not an easy match, unless Minnesota is willing to give up a lot of future picks, which is certainly possible.
In this scenario, the Vikings could land their quarterback of the future anyway. With Kirk Cousins gone and Sam Darnold added on a one-year deal, it’s clear they have to add competition. All sides point to that competition coming from a rookie. McCarthy is the No. 21 prospect on my Big Board, but I can see why some teams would covet him much higher. He has intriguing physical traits and can make every throw. Either way, if Minnesota really wants to try to move up in Round 1 for a quarterback, I could see it waiting until draft day to see how the board shakes out.
There is a real chance that the Vikings could end up with McCarthy and not trade up but it’s not a risk that is worth taking.
We’re back around to the Vikings, who acquired this pick in a deal with the Texans last week. I gave them a Kirk Cousins replacement at No. 11, and if they’re keeping this selection, they have to address a secondary which ranked 28th in passing yards allowed to receivers (3,019) last season. I like the front-seven additions of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, but Minnesota hasn’t made moves at cornerback.
I’m a huge fan of DeJean, who’s still recovering from a broken leg suffered in November. He’s a ball hawk — he had seven interceptions over his final 23 college games — with excellent technique. He also isn’t afraid of sticking his head in and making a tackle.
Taking a cornerback makes a lot of sense but DeJean doesn’t seem to be a great fit. He isn’t primarily a man coverage cornerback and might end up being best as a safety.
The Minnesota Vikings get their quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy without having to trade up in the latest Draft Wire mock draft
The Minnesota Vikings made a trade this week with the Houston Texans to get the 23rd overall pick, presumably to move up for a quarterback. In the latest mock draft from Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire, they get that quarterback without having to move up.
After losing Kirk Cousins to the Falcons, quarterback becomes the team’s top priority and J.J. McCarthy is a mature, productive quarterback with all the intangibles.
McCarthy has been a very popular pick for the Vikings. He isn’t just popular, but is the most popular pick with 43 total selections in the first 10 weeks. Second through fourth place are edge rushers.
It would be a really interesting pick for the Vikings to take McCarthy. Despite not having the same type of production or in-game experience throwing the football, McCarthy has flashed brilliance in many areas that translate to the National Football League, especially on third down.
Will he have to sit to get to his potential? That remains to be seen, but the potential is there.
FantasyPros’ Thor Nystrom has the Minnesota Vikings drafting J.J. McCarthy after a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for a top 5 pick.
In what is becoming a popular prediction, FantasyPros writer Thor Nystrom has the Minnesota Vikings trading up in his latest mock draft to grab a quarterback. That quarterback, perhaps unsurprisingly, is former Michigan product J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy, who Nystrom compared to a former Minnesota Vikings (among others) quarterback, Rich Gannon, has become a popular selection for the Vikings as the draft season has gone on and McCarthy has reportedly risen up draft boards.
In order to land McCarthy, Nystrom has the Vikings trading with the Los Angeles Chargers to move up to the five spot. Nystrom has the Vikings moving their 2025 first-round pick to make the trade work. For the Chargers part, Nystrom has them moving down to 11 and still landing Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who has been a popular pick for them as well.
Nystrom doesn’t provide additional details on the trade-up scenario, but it’s likely that a trade up to the top 5 would cost the Vikings more than simply a first-round pick in next year’s draft. However, it’s an easy decision if that’s all it takes to get the potential next franchise quarterback.
Minnesota takes an interesting avenue to address the QB position in recent mock draft
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy released his mock draft ahead of the legal tampering period that signals the start of NFL free agency. With this mock draft, there were no trades, leaving teams to reach for some premier positions, including the Minnesota Vikings.
At pick number 11, the Vikings found themselves without a quarterback after the top four quarterbacks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye & J.J. McCarthy) were taken off the board. So, according to Popejoy, they decide to take Oregon’s Bo Nix to address the position. Whether Kirk is back in the fray or not, taking Nix within the top 15 should not be an avenue Minnesota pursues.
There was not a defensive player picked within the first ten picks. Minnesota could have their pick of a defensive playmaker, whether at edge or cornerback, to add to Brian Flores’ arsenal. That is a much more advantageous bet than Nix at this point.
In the second round, at pick 42, the Vikings select West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Offensive line depth is a concern and Frazier is a great run blocker who can add instant value to the offensive front.
However, two picks later, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. goes off the board to Las Vegas. Penix and Nix seem to be on the same tier for most, with one going at 11 and the other going at 44, picking Nix that high feels like a massive reach.
The Athletic’s Diante Lee selects Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to be the future franchise quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
The Athletic’s Diante Lee released his mock draft just ahead of the NFL’s legal tampering period starting today. As teams hammer out deals, one of the major questions is who will be the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings next season.
According to Lee, Minnesota has at least one direction they can go to as they trade up with the New York Giants to acquire Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.
Projected trade: Vikings send No. 11, No. 128 and a 2025 first-round pick to the Giants for No. 6 and 2025 third- and fifth-round picks
It seems inevitable that a QB-needy team will leapfrog Atlanta (or which team ultimately holds the eighth pick) to ensure the next best prospect is still there.
I have my qualms with the passer McCarthy is right now, relative to his draft stock, but he has some enticing tools — and he’s still early on his developmental curve. He would walk into a healthy offensive situation, and it’s possible Minnesota will have a bridge QB he can sit behind until he’s ready. After Chicago, this would be the best landing spot for a rookie QB.
With the future of Kirk Cousins floating in the air, Minnesota will continue to be in the conversations of trade-ups and other aggressive moves to address the position. McCarthy is a far cry from a ready-made prospect. At only 21 years old, he is a raw prospect who could use a year to sit and learn how to be an NFL quarterback. Whether that’s behind Kirk or a stop-gap quarterback is the question that needs to be answered.
To finish the show, the crew does a three-round Minnesota Vikings mock draft which saw them pick three times. How did they get the extra selection and who would be going to the Vikings in this simulation?
All of that and more on the latest episode of Purple Daily on Draft, dropping every Monday afternoon on thePurple Daily YouTube channel.
The Minnesota Vikings trade up with the Los Angeles Chargers for J.J. McCarthy in the latest mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald.
We’re still more than a month away from the NFL draft, but with the scouting combine behind us and the free agency period on the horizon, a good portion of the puzzle will start to fall into place. With the Minnesota Vikings likely to lose out on quarterback Kirk Cousins, they’ll need to find his replacement.
That’s exactly what happens in the latest Yahoo Sports mock draft from Charles McDonald and Nate Tice. In this mock, McDonald is the one picking for the Vikings, and he has them trading up with the Los Angeles Chargers to get Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Here’s McDonald’s analysis of the selection:
In this world where Kirk Cousins has become the quarterback of the Falcons, the Vikings need to find their new guy. Here, they trade up for McCarthy, who has the upside to become a good NFL starter, even if he needs time to grow into the player people hope he can be in the future.
The idea of the Vikings drafting McCarthy is nothing new. He’s become a popular target for the Vikings in mock drafts. Minnesota trading up for a quarterback isn’t anything new, either. What is new here is the trade partner, the Chargers. Los Angeles would make a lot of sense in a trade down, as they need to replenish the weapons and offensive line around young star Justin Herbert.
The mock doesn’t go into detail on what the compensation in the move up would be, but if it’s a deal that allows Minnesota to keep All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, it’s worth exploring.
The Minnesota Vikings get their QB of the future without trading up, as Drake Maye falls to them at 11 in CBS Sports’ latest mock draft.
The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting — if precarious — position heading into NFL free agency and the NFL draft. On the one hand, it’s looking more and more likely that they’re going to be heading into a new era at QB with the departure of long-time starter Kirk Cousins. On the other, they may be in prime position to land their QB of the future in the draft.
That’s exactly how it plays out in Chris Trapasso’s latest mock draft for the folks over at CBS Sports. Trapasso has the Vikings standing pat at the 11th spot, and their patience pays off in the form of former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye, who many see as the #2 prospect at the position in this year’s draft, slips down to QB4 here, with both Jayden Daniels and another hot name for the Vikings, J.J. McCarthy, leap-frogging him. Here’s Trapasso’s analysis of the pick for Minnesota:
The top 10 couldn’t have played out better for the Vikings here, as Maye falls into their lap at No. 11. He ticks all the boxes.
While it may seem unlikely that Maye is still on the board when the Vikings come up on the clock, it’s certainly a possibility. The buzz around McCarthy has only gotten stronger as the draft process has gone on, and the rumors about Maye’s fall have been out there for weeks. Stranger things have happened!
