The 2024 NFL draft class of quarterbacks came into the event with some lofty expectations, and those expectations are following the class into the NFL. ESPN recently released their 2024 NFL rookie quarterback rundown, and they set out some lofty goals for the incoming class, including for Minnesota Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy.
It’s entirely possible that McCarthy doesn’t start the season at the helm for the Vikings. Minnesota signed former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold in the offseason, and he — at least for the moment — is the presumed Week 1 starter. But that doesn’t stop ESPN’s Jordan Reid for setting some lofty goals for what McCarthy’s future could look like.
In his look at what McCarthy could blossom into, Reid projects that the young quarterback could develop into the type of player who leads the league in QBR on play-action passes within the next five years. QBR is a measure that seeks to encapsulate all that a quarterback contributes to his team’s winning, and it highly rewards quarterbacks who are efficient—an area Reid believes McCarthy should be able to shine in with the Vikings’ offense.
Reid points out that the Vikings led the league in both snaps under center and play-action, an area that McCarthy excelled at while at Michigan. He compiled a 76.3% completion percentage and 90.4 QBR on such plays during his time with the Wolverines.
