Getting to know a player as a person and leader is arguably the most important part of the draft process. Ahead of this year’s draft, the Minnesota Vikings held private workouts for all the top passers. In the case of J.J. McCarthy, he brought something different to the table.
That variable is what sold the Vikings and Kevin O’Connell on drafting the quarterback who led Michigan to the national championship in January.
According to a report from Albert Breer, the Vikings and their head coach liked how McCarthy handled himself around fans and media at the Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor. O’Connell and some members of the Vikings were on campus that day visiting him when they attended that event. After that day, the Vikings head coach knew he would be a fit for the team and the area.
“If you’re going to draft a QB you hope is one of the faces of your franchise — and there’s no real evaluation to that — there’s a lot of positives that can come out of it watching them in that setting. J.J. was absolutely that. … I left campus that day thinking that we could build around J.J. McCarthy.”
McCarthy is coming into Minneapolis with arguably the best setup among all the rookie quarterbacks. Sure, the Bears are giving No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams three weapons at receiver, but the Vikings’ coaching staff gives them the edge. They have built things up for McCarthy, and now they want to build around him further.
