The Minnesota Vikings were sweating on Thursday during Round 1 of the 2024 NFL draft. They watched as quarterbacks made up four of the first eight picks, leaving the team scrambling as they knew the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders were behind them.
It left only one choice: to trade up just one spot to No. 10 to get their guy, J.J. McCarthy.
The former Michigan quarterback had plenty of fans in Minneapolis within the Vikings facility, and he clearly has allies around the league. The biggest is Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was McCarthy’s coach at Michigan.
Harbaugh hasn’t been shy about praising McCarthy, stating he was the “best quarterback in the class” a few weeks back. The former Wolverine was on his mind again when the Chargers coach met with the media and was asked about his thoughts on the pick.
“That’s where he had his heart set, and I’m just so happy for him. Love him like a son, and I was praying and pulling for it to work out the way he wanted it to work out,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh added that Minnesota got “a great player” and hinted at the stars aligning for things to play out the way they did. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have a background in astronomy, so he may not be counting stars, but he is counting on McCarthy to be the face of the franchise.
The NFL is already pushing him with the draft being in Detroit and his ties to the state of Michigan. Everyone is behind the Vikings’ top draft pick, it seems.