Category: Mock Drafts

Vikings trade up for J.J. McCarthy in FantasyPros mock draft

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.

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Minnesota Vikings take unorthodox QB in latest Draft Wire mock

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.

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Minnesota Vikings trade up for franchise QB in latest mock

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.

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Purple Daily on Draft: Prospect discussions and mock draft

Who should the Minnesota Vikings select in the 2024 NFL Draft? Purple Daily on Draft does a mock draft and discusses multiple prospects.

Free agency is set to open the legal tampering period on Monday morning but it’s never a bad time to talk about the NFL draft.

On the latest episode of Purple Daily on Draft, we went to the listeners who asked about multiple different prospects.

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 the Purple Daily YouTube channel.

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Vikings get aggressive for QB in latest Yahoo Sports mock draft

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.

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Vikings get QB of the future in latest CBS Sports mock draft

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!

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Charles Davis sends Vikings EDGE rusher, not QB in mock draft

With the top four quarterbacks gone, NFL Network’s Charles Davis sends the Minnesota Vikings Florida State EDGE Jared Verse.

The Minnesota Vikings are in a position where they can go in multiple directions to help build their franchise. The defensive needs pieces on all three levels to continue the growth Brian Flores started last season while the offense is going to need at the very least a quarterback of the future.

In his latest mock draft, NFL Network’s Charles Davis doesn’t have the Vikings taking a quarterback in the first round but rather Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse.

The Vikings boost the pass rush in hopes of overtaking Detroit and Green Bay in the division.

The Vikings boost the pass rush in hopes of overtaking Detroit and Green Bay in the division.

It was a tough draw for the Vikings in this mock draft, as the top four quarterbacks went in the top six.  If that happens and the Vikings don’t re-sign Kirk Cousins, things would be really interesting for the Vikings.

Who could they target in free agency? Sam Darnold? Baker Mayfield? Needless to say, fans wouldn’t be too thrilled.

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Vikings playing chess, not checkers in latest SB Nation mock

The Minnesota Vikings add another chess piece for Brian Flores in SB Nation’s JP Acosta post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft

SB Nation’s JP Acosta gave his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft as we inch closer to the off-season’s next phase: free agency. There wasn’t much surprise at the top of the draft, including the selection for the Minnesota Vikings at pick 11. Acosta gifted the Vikings with combine standout Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner.

With Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport and DJ Wonnum entering free agency, the Vikings need to address their pass rush this draft. Turner is a juiced up athlete with the ability to turn speed into power and be a defensive chess piece for Brian Flores.

The edge position has been the favorite among experts to give to the Vikings in mock drafts since the beginning of 2024. With outstanding NFL Combine performances from all three edge prospects, especially Turner and Florida State’s Jared Verse, there should be no surprises in future mocks if they are giving Minnesota help off the edge.

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New mock draft has Browns surprisingly selecting a safety with the 55th overall pick

A new mock has the Browns making an odd selection.

The fanbase of the Cleveland Browns would not react well if they selected a safety with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. However, in Draft Wire’s newest mock draft, it’s USC’s Calen Bullock who lands in Cleveland in the second round.

Here is what Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy had to say on Bullock and the Browns:

“The Browns finally go on the clock and opt for USC safety Calen Bullock. Bullock can do everything in the secondary and he backed up with a very good combine.”

Bullock is known as a long and rangy safety who can cover a great deal of ground on the back end. He is, however, a bit of a spotty tackler in space.

This past season with the Trojans, Bullock amassed 63 total tackles, two interceptions (nine on his career), and seven passes defended. He measured in at 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash.

This is a bit of an odd selection for the Brown here. With Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill, and Ronnie Hickman all under contract for at least two more seasons, and with D’Anthony Bell still on the team for at least 2024, the need at safety is not pressing enough to burn the 55th overall pick on.

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Second high profile mock draft sends Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

The latest NFL Mock Draft from ESPN’s Jordan Reid sends the Minnesota Vikings 2 Michigan Wolverines in QB J.J. McCarthy and DT Kris Jenkins.

The quarterback position has been a very popular selection for the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, the position has been mocked to the Vikings 62 times across 236 collected mock drafts through Sunday, March 3rd.

On Tuesday morning, we saw two major industry mock drafts released where the Vikings selected Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy: first from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and this one from ESPN’s Jordan Reid.

We obviously don’t know if free agent Kirk Cousins will return to Minnesota, but McCarthy fits coach Kevin O’Connell’s scheme so well. Yes, the passing sample size is limited — he only hit 25 or more passing attempts in 12 of 28 career starts — and his combine workout was inconsistent, but his efficiency at Michigan is noteworthy (72.3% completion rate). The infrastructure in Minnesota — with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson catching passes — is set up well for a young signal-caller to grow, too.

It didn’t stop there for Reid, as he has the Vikings double dipping with the Maize and Blue in selecting Michigan DT Kris Jenkins at 42nd overall.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has leaned on explosiveness in defensive prospects since taking over as Minnesota’s GM. Jenkins has those traits — he posted a 30-inch vertical at 299 pounds — and the Vikings’ defensive line could be headed for some turnover.

This would be a really impressive two-round haul for the Vikings. Getting the quarterback of the future paired with a high-upside defensive tackle is a great start to keeping this team on the right track.

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