The Vikings came into the NFL Draft with a goal: finding a new franchise quarterback. During free agency, their former QB, Kirk Cousins, signed a 4-year, 180M dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons. After losing Cousins, they signed a quarterback who isn’t a startable player, Sam Darnold. Last year for the 49ers, he only put up a measly 297 yards with 2 TDs and an Interception. He does have potential, though, as he had a decent season with the New York Jets in 2019, putting up 3,024 yards, 19 TDs, and 13 INTs with an 84.3 Passer Rating. With his not-great numbers, Sam Darnold will most likely be only a bridge QB. This is why the Vikings absolutely needed to draft a new one in the draft, and they did just that.
The Vikings traded pick 11, pick 129, and pick 157 over to the New York Jets to move up one spot at pick 10, along with pick 203. With the 10th pick, the Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy, potentially ending their QB disaster after having 4 QBs start for Minnesota last year (Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall). JJ McCarthy, in 2023 for Michigan, went 240/332 Completion/Attempts (72.3%) and threw for 2,991 yards with 22 touchdowns. He only had 4 Interceptions, and across his three-year college career, he only threw 11 combined INTs. Based on his stats, the Vikings may have found their guy.
It also helps that JJ McCarthy has one of the best receivers in the league right now, Justin Jefferson. Rising star Jordan Addison also had a great season. With two great receivers and a nice pass-catching tight end in TJ Hockenson, McCarthy will be thrown into a system with already great receivers he can throw to.
JJ McCarthy wasn’t the only player who headlined the Vikings’ 2024 draft class, though, as the Vikings traded for pick 17 from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for pick 23, pick 167, a 2025 3rd-round pick, and a 2025 4th-round pick. With pick 17, The Vikings drafted defensive edge Dallas Turner. Turner was projected to be in the top 10 but fell to 17th, where the Vikings traded up to get him. In 2021, Turner put up 8.5 sacks, and in 2023, put up 11. The Vikings got a massive steal, but there are questions as to whether it will end up being worth it. In the combined two trades, the Vikings gave up seven picks… in exchange for only 3. While those picks were fantastic, what they gave up might be too much.
Was it necessary? I believe so, yes. They got the guys they needed to compete for a playoff spot, and they needed to improve now because of their stacked division. The NFC North featured two teams in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, The Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, who later advanced to the NFC Championship. The Chicago Bears also improved their lineup, getting the number 1 pick Caleb Williams on their roster. It will be hard for the Vikings to get into the playoffs, but they certainly have improved their competitive odds after their draft picks.
