Every offseason, analyst and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms ranked his top 40 passers in the league, and Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy made the cut. The list can be somewhat controversial, as is most of Simms’ work, depending on who you ask, but he puts thought into each ranking.
J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings top draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, hasn’t played a snap in the NFL yet. Despite that, he came in at number 30 overall. McCarthy ranked above only one current starter in the NFL, Bryce Young, while the rest were backups or free agents.
Depending on how the offseason plays out, there could be one more starter he ranked over. His Vikings teammate Sam Darnold was ranked 33rd overall, just three spots behind McCarthy.
Neither ranking is an overall glowing endorsement of the talent the Vikings have at the position. The entire rankings haven’t come out yet, but so far, no other NFC North quarterbacks have made the list ranked 26 through 40.
Next batch in the Top 40 is rookie-heavy, including a guy with similar raw traits pic.twitter.com/Iwvi6XFkB3
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) May 22, 2024
