The Minnesota Vikings going with quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the unquestioned starter has been one of the biggest topics during the entire offseason.
From November on, there have been multiple quarterbacks that media and fans alike have tried to put Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback. This all comes after the Vikings selected McCarthy at 10th overall.
NFL analyst ranks J.J. McCarthy 12th among NFL starting quarterbacks
Not only are analysts undervaluing the potential of McCarthy, the sportsbooks are as well, with a win total of just 8.5. The roster is stacked right now, and that leads to Fox Sports' Henry McKenna ranking the Vikings starting quarterback at 12th in the league, believing he will have a tremendous season.
You could put just about anyone in the Vikings’ QB slot, and I’d get excited about him. But McCarthy was a top-10 pick in what’s shaping up to be an incredible QB class. This year, McCarthy might look like 2023 Brock Purdy — an athletic point guard with an idyllic supporting cast.
Yes, McKenna has McCarthy over all of his contemporaries from the 2024 NFL Draft. He's also over Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, and Darnold. It feels crazy to have him that high, but McKenna's description makes a lot of sense here.
He isn't saying that McCarthy is going to be this elite signal caller from day one, but a product of his surroundings right away. The comparison to Purdy in his first year as a starter makes a lot of sense. The San Francisco 49ers made the Super Bowl in Purdy's first year as the starter when he was just acting like Chris Paul: distributing the ball across the field to the bevy of weapons at his disposal.
Early on, McCarthy can do that and elevate the Vikings' offense to a different level. Plus, if he can take a step forward during the year, the Vikings could be in line for their own Super Bowl appearance.
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