It was an exciting Thursday evening when the Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings were looking for their next franchise signal caller, and the Minnesota brass was sold that McCarthy is the guy who will take the Vikings to the next level.
The main question heading into the summer is when McCarthy will be ready to play for the Vikings. Minnesota signed veteran and former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold to a contract. The popular belief—at the moment—is that Darnold will get the nod to start the season, but McCarthy will get his shot around midway.
But if you listen to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, he believes McCarthy will be ready to go immediately. Appearing on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ with Mike Greenberg, Darlington expressed the opinion that he thinks McCarthy will be ready to go in Week 1.
“Absolutely,” Darlington said on if McCarthy could start Week 1. “Let me tell you why. It isn’t just about his ability, it’s about the fact that this is a guy that’s going into a situation with Kevin O’Connell — I talked to O’Connell and he has a very specific plan in place for J.J. McCarthy. He’s going to be surrounded my coaches who are completely invested in making sure he gets the proper development. They do have Sam Darnold available if McCarthy isn’t ready. I just think the expedited process of his development is going to be such that he will be ready for Week 1.”
It remains to be unseen what will happen with the Vikings starting QB job this fall, but regardless if it’s Darnold or McCarhty — Minnesota has plenty of weapons at their disposal.
According to @JeffDarlington, J.J. McCarthy “absolutely” could start week 1 for the Minnesota #Vikings 👀🍿pic.twitter.com/xF82AEk71v
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 1, 2024
