Vikings' internal J.J. McCarthy hype comes with an obvious grain of salt

After seeing Zach Wilson fail miserably with the New York Jets, new Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman seems to be way more bullish on his team's rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Cashman appeared on The Jim Rome Show on X earlier this month to discuss several things. As expected, Cashman was asked about what his thoughts on the rookie quarterback are right now.

Cashman did not disappoint. It may be wishful thinking, but you can certainly sense the optimism McCarthy inherently breeds. It is one of his greatest skills. He is a leader and he is a winner. While he has at times shown he can throw a beautiful spiral down the length of the field, the passing game was not as important as the running game and the defense were in Ann Arbor when he was with Michigan.

Cashman started by saying McCarthy is already conducting himself with a bit of quite confidence.

"[He's] 21 years old, but a great young man. He's a leader. He's eager to learn. A lot of young guys, sometimes they can come in, be a little timid or shy, but he's walking around the locker room, big smile on his face, shaking hands, getting to know everybody."

While he claimed to not watch him much in college, McCarthy's reputation precedes himself.

"I didn't know much about his game before. I knew he was an outstanding quarterback. Winning followed him at Michigan. But I didn't realize how much heat he can put on the ball. He's got a great long ball. And even those tight windows, where it closes fast at the next level, he can zip the ball past a linebacker or safety's head and squeeze it in those tight windows. That's very promising to see."

Finally, Cashman would say he expects for McCarthy to be a great player in the NFL for a long time.

"He's gonna be a great player for a long time, and I can't wait to continue to see his growth. Not only as a quarterback with his skills, but also becoming an even smarter player."

Here is a video clip from Cashman's appearance on The Jim Rome Show earlier from in the month.

The idea behind McCarthy's leadership is fantastic, but we need to see him play in a few NFL games.

Minnesota Vikings' internal optimism about J.J. McCarthy hits fever pitch

To be fair, I think any first-round quarterback prospect is going to be greeted with a greater sense of optimism when compared to Wilson. Anybody who followed college football in the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft could have told you to not draft this guy in the first round. He benefited from playing a softer schedule in COVID. Wilson has arm talent but was nowhere near the leader that McCarthy is.

My favorite thing about McCarthy going to the Vikings is that he is in the perfect landing spot for him. The organization will not rush him out there. Not only does he have a great teacher to learn from in head coach Kevin O'Connell, but could learn a thing or two from veteran journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold, who also was a top-10 pick not that long ago in 2018. McCarthy will have some runway.

Unfortunately, until we see the guy play, we aren't really going to know. The passing lanes that were wide-open in the Big Ten will be covered up in an instant in the NFL. Everybody in the league was one of the best players on their college team. Although I am optimistic that McCarthy will be a hit in Minneapolis, I would love to hear more about his arm and passing abilities over his leadership already.

For now, we can only hope he takes to coaching well with the Vikings so he can achieve all he can.