J.J. McCarthy's first drive will have Vikings fans crying enough to fill 10,000 lakes

Reports on rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota Vikings training camp have been that he's looked as expected -- inexperienced but with flashes. That's why all indications have been that the 10th overall pick will be a backup when Week 1 rolls around with veteran newcomer Sam Darnold starting under center.

Even with that, though, fans were hoping to see some of the flashes of brilliance from the young Michigan product as he made his NFL and preseason debut on Saturday against the Raiders. Darnold got the start and looked solid on the firstdrive, even if it ended without points, before making way for McCarthy.

After his drive started with an absolute dart over the middle of the field that got fans hopes up, though, things devolved into a bit of a quick disaster for McCarthy, one that won't have Vikings fans feeling great about the quarterback their favorite team just took in the first round.

J.J. McCarthy gets off to awful start with Vikings preseason debut

McCarthy's lone completion of his first NFL drive started with three hand-offs, which is not exactly a sign of faith in the rookie, which was then warranted when he caused a false start penalty. He made good on it with the 18-yard completion to Jalen Nailor. It was then that the wheels fell off entirely.

The rookie signal-caller had a naked bootleg on the next play and clearly got rattled by a bit of the pressure coming off of the edge with no blockers around, causing him to miss a relatively simple throw to fullback C.J. Ham. After another run play and with third-and-8 looming, McCarthy again felt some pressure and again made a mistake, this time trying to do far too much and forcing a downfield throw that hung in the air and was picked off easily by Raiders defensive back Jack Jones.

That sound you hear is the Vikings fans' tears filling 10,000 lakes as they ponder the possibility of Minnesota making a huge mistake.

However, it's worth noting that the crying subsided when McCarthy took the field once again, finding Trishton Jackson in the middle of the field for a 24-yard catch-and-run that set up a Kene Nwangwu 48-yard touchdown run on the next play.

While there might be the inclination to panic when it comes to McCarthy and his ups and downs in the preseason and perhaps in the regular season at some point, the reality check fans need in Minnesota is that this should be expected. McCarthy was by far the most inexperienced of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class, particularly in terms of passing reps. That's going to lead to growing pains, especially facing pro-level competition for the first times.

Even still, you would've hoped for a better start than such an ugly interception.