J.J. McCarthy will win over Vikings fans after first minicamp comments
By Scott Rogust
![NFL Combine NFL Combine](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/229/01hxm3ap3r7qywp79s71.jpg)
The Minnesota Vikings accomplished their goal of drafting their potential quarterback of the future. The team didn't have to move all the way into the Top 5 to land one, instead moving up to the No. 10 slot to select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. Fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship win with the Wolverines, McCarthy raised his stock through the pre-draft process by interviewing well with teams and having an impressive Pro Day.
This week, Vikings fans got their first look at McCarthy in a Vikings practice uniform. From there, they will see if he can take the starting reins right away, or if he will sit behind Sam Darnold for the start of the year.
Well McCarthy will win over the fanbase following his comment after the start of rookie minicamp. The rookie said he didn't feel overwhelmed, because of how comfortable he was with head coach Kevin O'Connell's playbook.
"It didn't feel like my first day," said McCarthy, h/t ESPN. "I've been going over the offense for a long time now. So being able to [go] out there and perform and execute, that's new, but it was nothing that was overwhelming or too much."
J.J. McCarthy reveals he already feels comfortable in Vikings offense
Having a quarterback that exudes confidence is refreshing for an NFL fanbase. It certainly helps that McCarthy played in a pro-style offense at Michigan under current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
While that's all well and good, fans will want to see McCarthy back it up. As in, during a regular season game. The one criticism of McCarthy coming out of college was that he didn't throw the football as much as his fellow quarterback classmates. That has a lot to do with Michigan being a run-heavy offense under Harbaugh, which thrived with Blake Corum and Donvan Edwards leading the way, paired with their stout defense. With McCarthy, it was up to teams to look at his limited sample size throwing the football and looking towards projections.
The Vikings were obviously comfortable taking McCarthy with their first pick of this year's NFL Draft. They moved up one spot to take McCarthy before other quarterback-needy teams such as the Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders could try to take him.
There is still a lot of time before meaningful NFL football is played. But so far, McCarthy doesn't feel the pressure making the jump from college to the NFL.
feed