The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot with the New York Jets to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit on Thursday evening.
McCarthy (6-2, 219 pounds) enters the NFL after helping the Wolverines win a national championship last fall. Most draft pundits had him ranked as the fourth-best quarterback in this year’s class behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.
McCarthy was a two-year starter at Michigan, completing 67.6% of his passes for 6,226 yards and 49 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 40 career games (he got late appearances in 11 games as a freshman in 2021).
In addition to making plays through the air, McCarthy also rushed 161 times for 632 yards and 10 touchdowns in college, showing off his mobility. He earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition in 2023 and was named the conference’s Quarterback of the Year after passing for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns.
After spending three years in college, McCarthy now begins his NFL career as a 21-year-old rookie. He’s younger than fellow rookie quarterbacks Williams (22), Daniels (23), Michael Penix (23) and Bo Nix (24).
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