Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy reportedly “pounded the table” for his team to draft his former high school teammate, Alabama guard Tyler Booker, in the first round.
Unfortunately, Booker was selected much higher than anticipated — drafted by the Dallas Cowboys 12th overall.
The good news? The Vikings heeded McCarthy’s calls that would improve the offensive line.
However, instead of reuniting McCarthy with his former teammate, Minnesota’s best option was to look toward a Michigan rival instead.
The Vikings selected Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson 24th overall, who was considered the “unsung hero” of the Buckeyes’ national championship run last season.
McCarthy has held a vendetta against Ohio State, saying the Buckeyes coaching staff “lied” to him during his recruiting process when he was just 16 years old. McCarthy made it his M.O. to “kill” Ohio State as a Wolverine, and did so, putting down the Buckeyes in his undefeated run to the 2023 national championship.
But, to McCarthy’s chagrin, he had to bear witness to Jackson and Ohio State winning a national title the next year.
The two national champions will surely put their collegiate differences to the side — but it will make for some entertaining locker room dynamics.
Donovan Jackson’s Impressive Move During Buckeyes National Title Season
After never playing left tackle at Ohio State, Jackson was tapped to move to left tackle for the final nine games of last season due to starting left tackle Josh Simmons suffering a season-ending knee injury in October.
Jackson made the move with grace.
After allowing a pair of sacks and five pressures in his first start against Penn State, which featured No. 1 pass rusher and 2nd overall pick Abdul Carter, Jackson did not allow a sack the rest of the season.
He continued to grow at the position, and his best performances came when the Buckeyes needed him most.
In the NCAA postseason, Jackson did not allow a single sack, or quarterback and just one hurry against end-of-season top-ranked Oregon, No. 4 Texas and No. 3 Notre Dame.
The performance that Jackson put on tape going down the final stretch of the season led some draftniks to consider whether Jackson is a better fit at tackle than guard.
However, Jackson’s skill set offers such a high floor at the guard position that those questions are of little concern.
