Vikings make first trade of draft to take QB J.J. McCarthy

Field Level Media|published: Thu 25th April, 22:01 2024

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy misses the trophy to celebrate 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. credits: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rather than wait one more pick and risk another team jumping them in the order, the Minnesota Vikings moved up from No. 11 to No. 10 in the NFL draft to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Thursday night in Detroit.

The Vikings made the first trade of the draft by swapping spots with the New York Jets. Minnesota sent New York a fourth-rounder (No. 129 overall) and a fifth-rounder (No. 157) while receiving a sixth-rounder (No. 203) from the Jets in the deal.

McCarthy was the fifth quarterback off the board, following Caleb Williams (Chicago), Jayden Daniels (Washington), Drake Maye (New England) and Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta) at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 8. Moments later, the Denver Broncos took Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 for an unprecedented glut of QBs in the first 12 picks.

McCarthy helped guide Michigan to a national championship in 2023 by passing for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He added three touchdowns on the ground.

The Vikings bade farewell to Kirk Cousins this offseason and entered the draft with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall on the QB depth chart.

With the 11th pick, the Jets drafted Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.

—Field Level Media