J.J. McCarthy Earns Unusually Impressive QB Power Ranking
It wasn’t even from a Minnesota Vikings-themed site.
J.J. McCarthy Earns Unusually Impressive QB Power Ranking
Typically if one saw J.J. McCarthy already ranked as the NFL’s 25th-best quarterback, the onlooker would suspect some kind of Vikings fandom. But this was CBS Sports.
Cody Benjamin from the popular outfit fired off his NFL quarterback power rankings this week, and somehow, McCarthy, a shiny new 21-year-old rookie, checked in at No. 25 — notably ahead of Derek Carr, Daniel Jones, Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, and Gardner Minshew.
“Unlike Caleb Williams, McCarthy isn’t even guaranteed to start in Week 1, with Sam Darnold also in tow. But he’s got arguably the best situation of any rookie signal-caller, plopped into a Kevin O’Connell offense with Pro Bowl-level talent at every spot. He’s got a path to immediate success,” Benjamin defended the McCarthy placement.
Minnesota used Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft to select McCarthy and outside linebacker Dallas Turner from Alabama. Virtually no Vikings fan believed both men were attainable, as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was expected to trade his 1st-Round assets for a quarterback of the future. But on draft night, McCarthy slid to pick No. 10, where the young executive pulled the trigger on a trade with the New York Jets — while keeping his 23rd overall pick in-house. He then picked Turner after an expensive trade to the 17th spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Furthermore, to prove Benjamin’s ranking right, McCarthy will need to see a regular season field in 2024, which is currently up in the air. Most believe veteran passer Sam Darnold will earn QB1 duties out of the gate, mainly because Minnesota signed him for $10 million in March after Kirk Cousins bolted for the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings have the luxury of rolling with Darnold until McCarthy is ready.
Darnold did not crack the Top 32 rankings published by Benjamin.
Right after the draft, ESPN claimed that Minnesota had a specific development plan awaiting McCarthy. “The Vikings will follow an individualized development plan they created for each of the quarterbacks they considered drafting, one that requires McCarthy to hit specific benchmarks and gives coach Kevin O’Connell full authority to make the timing decision,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert explained on April 26th.
Around the same time, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said about McCarthy’s upcoming development, “A lot of times when we go back over history and say, ‘These quarterbacks have missed,’ there’s a lot of hands that are dirty in that regard. And we’re going to make sure that our hands are clean and give him the best opportunity he can to be the best player he can be in this offense.”
Ergo, we shall see if McCarthy earns substantial playing time as a rookie — and if that produces the power ranking defined by CBS Sports.
Vikings rookies report to rookie minicamp on Friday.
ESPN Echoes Top Roster Need for Vikings
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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