It was never truly a question this offseason, despite the desires of a certain future Hall of Famer, but the Minnesota Vikings are all-in on J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback until further notice. All we have right now is to trust head coach Kevin O'Connell's acumen as a "quarterback whisperer", but for now that's enough.
As a prospect heading into the 2024 draft, there was a lot of projection involved with McCarthy. He simply wasn't asked to throw the ball a lot in college at Michigan, but he had size, athleticism (a reported sub-4.5 40 in college), and raw arm strength (a 61 MPH fastest throw at the NFL Combine) to make him very interesting.
Even if he might not have been the starter immediately, McCarthy lost his entire rookie season after suffering a torn meniscus in the Vikings' 2024 preseason opener. Concerns about needing a second surgery and some well-documented weight loss late last season are in the rearview mirror now.
Some talking heads, well one particular talking head, have lamented how McCarthy doesn't have a single "wow" trait, with some focus on not having a particularly strong arm. McCarthy quickly dismissed that arm strength conversation when he was subsequently asked about it. Just how a franchise quarterback would when something like that comes up.
Analyst reinforces core key to success for Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports recently took a look at the six quarterbacks who went in the top 12 of the 2024 draft and honed in on some keys for each in Year 2.
For McCarthy, since he didn't play last season, it's something he must do to succeed rather than an area of improvement like it was for the others.
After acknowledging the general unknown regarding McCarthy, Pereles dove into why "hitting the middle of the field" will be so important.
"We do know exactly what Kevin O'Connell wants McCarthy to deliver: precise play-action passing over the middle of the field, targeting Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on in-breaking routes, often from under center. The Vikings were sixth in play-action rate last year and third in under-center rate."
"McCarthy excelled throwing to this area of the field in college, completing nearly 79% of his passes on 9.7 yards per attempt in between the numbers. He has the requisite zip to access this area downfield. But windows close quickly in the NFL."
Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Life hit similar notes about McCarthy's prowess throwing over the middle of the field during his last year at Michigan.
"McCarthy mercilessly attacks the middle of the field—a key aspect of O’Connell’s offense. In 2023, McCarthy had the most completions in the intermediate range over the middle among the top quarterbacks in this draft class, finishing with an 85.6% adjusted completion percentage and 91.2 passing grade between the hashes."
Bolstering the point even further, here's what Judd Zulgad of SKOR North observed about McCarthy during minicamp.
"McCarthy’s most impressive throws are the intermediate ones over the middle. On those passes, he combines a strong arm with accuracy. This could make McCarthy and Justin Jefferson a dangerous combination for opposing defenses. It also could result in a big season for tight end T.J. Hockenson."
McCarthy's greatest strength as a passer in college matches nicely with what O'Connell likes to do in the passing game. So it's really no accident the Vikings honed in on him as their potential quarterback of the future, but now he's got to go out and get it done on the field.
