Vikings fans really shouldn’t be surprised by JJ McCarthy’s early struggles 

As Kirk Cousins’ six-year reign comes to an end, the Minnesota Vikings have put their future in the hands of a rookie. The Vikings selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

In his final collegiate season with Michigan, McCarthy led the Wolverines to a national championship in Jim Harbaugh’s run-dominated scheme. Entering the draft, scouts questioned his ability to maintain consistency with heavier passing volume at the professional level.

So far, McCarthy’s performance through mandatory minicamp has drawn mixed reviews. The young quarterback has experienced his highs and lows.

McCarthy’s biggest flaws have been his lack of consistency while layering the ball to the boundary or attempting to drive the ball downfield, according to Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. 

"The biggest issue for McCarthy has been his lack of consistency when either layering the ball to the boundary or pushing the ball downfield," writes Mizutani, h/t Sports Illustrated. "That’s not unexpected considering he’s relearning his footwork under the tutelage of O’Connell and new quarterback coach Josh McCown. It’s going to click for McCarthy at some point, and when it does, he has the makings of being a very good player."

J.J. McCarthy’s early struggles are nothing to be concerned about 

That should not come as a shock, however. The throws that McCarthy struggled with during the spring are the same throws that he struggled with on his collegiate film. As the fifth quarterback off the board, McCarthy was bound to have some weaknesses.

At this point, there’s no reason to panic — McCarthy seems to be as advertised, if not better.

The 21-year-old rookie was expected to have mechanical issues that would need to be rewired, and he is retraining his footwork under the tutelage of quarterback coach Josh McCown. Once his weaknesses are ironed out, McCarthy’s skillset — particularly his ability to fit throws into tight windows — will shine bright.

“The raw ability that McCarthy possesses has been striking to see firsthand,” Mizutani wrote.

Still, Minnesota seems to be taking a wise approach with his development. 

Long ago, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell discussed how sitting on the sidelines can be beneficial for a young quarterback’s development. Many of the league’s greatest quarterbacks share one commonality: Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes all began their careers holding a clipboard on the sidelines.

The Vikings brought in veteran quarterback Sam Darnold on a one-year, $10 million contract to serve as a stopgap starting quarterback this season. It’s possible that McCarthy doesn’t start a game until after the midpoint of the season — or doesn’t start this year at all.

During an appearance on the “Purple Daily” podcast last month, O’Connell didn’t put a timeline on McCarthy being integrated into the starting lineup.

“There’s no clock in the corner of the room that is ticking down to a specific date, or game, or things like that,” O’Connell said. 

Ultimately, it will depend on how Darnold performs on game day, and how McCarthy performs on the days in between.