The Minnesota Vikings have had some great fortune at the quarterback position in recent years. After Case Keenum took them to the NFC championship in 2017, they managed to sign Kirk Cousins, who produced several high-quality seasons for them. Then, right after he's traded, they end up with Sam Darnold, who flourished under the guidance of head coach Kevin O'Connell. However, it was here that Minnesota may have miscalculated. They had also drafted JJ McCarthy in the 1st round last year. The initial plan had been for Darnold to back him up. However, the rookie tore his ACL and missed the season.
After Darnold's breakout year, the Vikings were in a tough spot. Some wanted him back. Others felt the team had made a commitment to McCarthy and must see it through. In the end, they went the latter direction. Now Darnold is putting together a top-five season in Seattle, while McCarthy has again missed several weeks with an injury setback. When he has played? It hasn't looked pretty. He's barely completing 53% of his passes with five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Greg Cosell is one of the most respected QB evaluators in the business. He expressed concerns about McCarthy on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.
JJ McCarthy has serious red flags.
Nobody disputes his outstanding leadership during Michigan's run to a national championship. Every time the Wolverines needed him to make a play, he did. Still, some had misgivings about him. Much of it centered on his thinner frame and lack of arm strength. Michigan never asked him to win games by throwing the football. Already, he's had two lower leg injuries, and three of his four starts saw him finish below 200 yards passing. Cosell is correct; he does resemble early Alex Smith.
The problem is Smith didn't blossom until his seventh season in the league when Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2011. JJ McCarthy had already worked with Harbaugh for years in college. The fact that he still looks like this says a lot. Remember, Harbaugh had no problem instituting a pass-first offense with Andrew Luck at Stanford. Going with a run-heavy approach with McCarthy was a signal that even he didn't fully trust the quarterback outside of the game manager role..
If Minnesota got this pick wrong, they are in big trouble.
