After months of speculation surrounding Michigan’s former starting quarterback, JJ McCarthy, he landed with the Minnesota Vikings in the first round.
Just 12 months ago, many draft analysts did not consider McCarthy a first-round prospect. However, in the days leading up to the draft, McCarthy garnered some buzz to go as high as No. 2 overall. Ultimately, JJ was selected with the 10th overall pick. The former Wolverine will be the successor to Kirk Cousins, taking the reigns of a loaded Vikings offense.
At the end of the day, we’re all concerned with how this draft pick will impact fantasy football. It doesn’t take a lot of digging to realize this is arguably the best landing spot for any rookie QB. That other favorable landing spot is, of course, Chicago, who landed their future franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams.
Let’s first examine his scouting profile to better understand our expectations for McCarthy.
JJ MCCARTHY SCOUTING REPORT: HIGH UPSIDE QUARTERBACK PLAY
Heading into the 2023-24 college football season, there were still many questions about JJ McCarthy as a prospect. A lot of this had to do with a lack of passing volume that stemmed from a world-class defense and rushing attack that Michigan featured over the last three seasons.
These questions weren’t exactly answered last season. McCarthy threw just 332 passes, and his arm was rarely relied upon to win football games for Michigan. When asked to execute difficult throws and come through in clutch situations, McCarthy often delivered. However, with due to the lack of pass attempts and very few negative game scripts, people were stuck asking the same questions. How will he perform when his arm is consistently required to win games?
NFL GMs did not think these questions were too serious as he has been projected to be selected inside the top 15 for a while now. What did the Vikings see in McCarthy that led to them selecting him with the 10th overall pick?
First, the way McCarthy approaches the way is a coach’s dream. Sources from around the league raved about his leadership qualities, toughness, and the mental aspect of his game. These qualities don’t produce fantasy points but they certainly are the dream for a coach or GM. This is especially true for a franchise trying to assemble a competitive roster for this upcoming season. Minnesota needs a player who can operate in an NFL offense from day one. The Vikings clearly believe that McCarthy can do this.
McCarthy proves to be an exciting prospect in terms of his physical attributes and performance on the field. Although he has a bit of a slender frame, the former five-star prospect is quick on his feet and has a quality arm. JJ did not run the 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process. However, he racked up 500 rushing yards in two seasons as a starter and proved quick on tape. As the Michigan starter, he also could deliver passes with velocity and accuracy, all while remaining mobile and fluid in the pocket.
In my eyes, the match between Minnesota and McCarthy makes a lot of sense. The Vikings could not afford to squander the talents of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson. McCarthy has experience in a pro-style offense under Jim Harbaugh and has the traits to be able to step in and keep this offense running at a high level.
LANDING SPOT: LOADED WEAPONRY FOR HIS SKILL SET
I’ve touched on this point a bit, but I want to emphasize how stellar of a landing spot this is for McCarthy. To put it simply, the only way for McCarthy to fail in Minnesota is for him to be a truly awful quarterback and nobody to have realized it.
First, we have his weapons: Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson (eventually). There’s no sense in getting too deep into this point. Jefferson is widely considered the league’s best receiver and has a dynamic second-year receiver in Jordan Addison right next to him. Hockenson will prove to be a valuable secondary option when he returns from injury.
The other piece to this puzzle is the coaching staff in Minnesota. Head coach Kevin O’Connell understands this team’s path to success is through Justin Jefferson, regardless of the quarterback. In starts with Minnesota in 2023, both Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens attempted 35+ passes in games and Mullens eclipsed 350 passing yards on multiple occasions. This offensive environment had people thinking “The Passtronaut” was a legitimate starter in the NFL.
With a coach who prefers a pass-centric offense, an offensive scheme that has propped up multiple sub-par quarterbacks, and elite weapons, JJ McCarthy is set up to thrive in Minnesota.
JJ MCCARTHY 2024 FANTASY OUTLOOK & DYNASTY VALUE
Prior to the NFL Draft, McCarthy was off the board in Underdog Bestball drafts as the QB29. This price is set to come up significantly. As fantasy draft season moves forward over the summer, I expect McCarthy to push his way into the range of Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford as a mid-level QB2, if not higher, considering his ties to Jefferson.
I don’t mind taking McCarthy in this spot. With high projected volume and stud receivers, JJ is primed to have multiple spike weeks throughout the year. This sets him up to be particularly intriguing in bestball formats and I will be looking to draft him more over the coming weeks.
When it comes to redraft, single QB formats, McCarthy will not be drafted as a starter but should still be on your radar. With the incredible situation he’s stepping into, he can prove to be a quality replacement if something happens to your fantasy starter. He sits at QB23 on The Wolf’s 2024 Fantasy Rankings.
We also bumped him up to QB3 on our 2024 Dynasty Rookie Rankings, which puts him in the same tier as Patriots QB Drake Maye.
