It was no secret that the team needed a quarterback. By being aggressive in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings put pressure on themselves by making big moves in the draft.
The Minnesota Vikings Are Under Pressure After Their Recent Draft
The Quarterback Decision
While landing a potential long-term answer at quarterback is a goal for many teams in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings are now under pressure after finding theirs. J.J. McCarthy was selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy will enter the 2024 season with a chance to win the job over Sam Darnold. The trade helped the Vikings and New York Jets secure important pieces for the future.
The scouting report on McCarthy was a mixed bag. Some saw him as a player with uncoachable intangibles and a gift for throwing off-platform. The ability to make unscheduled throws is something that few NFL quarterbacks have mastered, but McCarthy showed enough at Michigan to make him a top-ten pick. Scouts and coaches also saw a quarterback who was not asked to do everything at Michigan. With McCarthy, the Wolverines won a national title in 2023. His career at Michigan was nearly unblemished. But few of those wins came from McCarthy putting the team on his back. The question then became: can the quarterback elevate the players around him and be clutch when it counts?
While the Vikings have weapons and a top-notch coaching staff, the transition to McCarthy must be smooth. It will also need to occur quickly. The organization will soon be signing off on a massive contract extension for Jordan Jefferson, impacting their ability to add players in free agency. Drafting McCarthy makes sense for this reason. However, as a quarterback widely regarded as a project, McCarthy puts Minnesota under pressure to win now. The Vikings signed Darnold in case they could not draft a top quarterback, but Darnold has been in the league long enough to show his limitations.
If McCarthy fails to transition quickly to the next level, the Vikings could be in trouble. The team surrendered significant capital in the 2024 NFL Draft to land another blue-chip player in Dallas Turner. While Turner can become an impact player for the Vikings, the pick came at a cost. Minnesota gave up two future draft picks in their trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to get Turner. Their trade with the Jaguars came shortly after they moved up for McCarthy.
The Future Outlook
The team could be awarded compensatory picks in the 2025 NFL Draft for letting players walk in free agency. While valuable, those compensatory picks now become incredibly valuable. The Vikings enter 2024 with a roster that is ready to win. It is also a roster that has questions at cornerback and receiver. Byron Murphy makes for a solid number-one corner. Justin Jefferson is a bonafide star at receiver, and Jordan Addison could become a stud. But the Vikings are playing a risky game of trying to compete right away while building the roster.
By giving up multiple draft picks for McCarthy and Turner, the team will require both rookies to become plus-starters. For McCarthy, that means improving his consistency as a passer. It also means showing up in big moments and making clutch plays, like he did at times at Michigan. For Turner, the Vikings need him to be an elite pass rusher. Turner will not have to be a full-time starter right away, but the team will need him to make an impact in rotational packages. If both players do not pan out, the Vikings could regret their decision to be so bold in the draft. Now they enter 2024 with extra pressure to make everything come together. Quickly.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
