Even if Kirk Cousins had re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, most people expected the Vikings to be looking at quarterbacks in this year’s draft, given Cousins is 35 and coming off an ACL tear. After reporters confirmed that Cousins had signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota’s quarterback needs also solidified. Several months of mock drafts later, it seemed like nearly all insiders and experts agreed that J.J. McCarthy would be the fourth quarterback taken in this year’s draft.
Many mock drafts suggested that the Vikings would trade up to a top-five selection to pick the fourth quarterback available. In most of those projections, Minnesota selected McCarthy. By then, I had already grown comfortable with the idea that McCarthy would be waiting for Minnesota at the top of the second tier of quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
But ever since the NFL owners’ meetings in Orlando this past March, we have heard persistent chatter from NFL insiders telling us that the Washington Commanders have their sights set on Michigan’s McCarthy at pick No. 2. That would be wonderful news for the Vikings – if they have their sights set on Drake Maye.
We have read about the many reasons the Vikings could be interested in Maye. The loudest is quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, the newest addition to Minnesota’s coaching staff. In case you haven’t heard, in addition to a lifetime of football and having a long career as an NFL quarterback, McCown also coached Maye in high school. Because he’s intimately familiar with the prospect, when you add McCown and his history with the quarterback to what Maye has put on tape, it’s easy to see how the Vikings brass could be talking about him when they say they have a “preferred scenario.”
Up until the owners’ meetings, Maye has been the second or third quarterback off the board. As a result, the Vikings wouldn’t be able to take him at 11. Even if Minnesota wants to trade up, they would have to convince three quarterback-needy teams to abandon their highly coveted top-five pick so the Vikings could select the quarterback of their future. Not an easy task.
Early mock drafts usually had Maye and Jayden Daniels flip-flopping at pick No. 2. The consensus was that Caleb Williams was QB1 and Maye and Daniels were 2a and 2b, respectively. Now, do we believe J.J. McCarthy has raised his stock enough to jump up to the second pick?
You can’t believe everything you read or hear this time of year. The month before the draft is a notoriously dangerous time to take front offices and decision-makers in the NFL at their word. GMs try to confuse and mislead their opponents, disguising their plans from the other franchises, hoping it allows them to bring their plans to fruition without worrying or wondering if they would be thwarted by a surprise trade-up or selection from an opposing GM.
For months now, McCarthy has been the fourth quarterback taken in most draft experts’ mocks. Therefore, Vikings fans have been growing more comfortable with the idea of the Michigan signal caller as the heir apparent in Minnesota. It seems like Drake Maye is Minnesota’s preferred option. If the Commanders want to throw a wrench in their plans, feigning interest in McCarthy could do the trick. It keeps Washington’s plans a secret and could also make the Vikings’ front office prepare for a scenario that will never come to fruition, wasting their precious time before the draft.
The Vikings do not know who the Commanders will take second overall. Without trading up with one of the quarterback-hungry teams, they can only use their picks. Washington might be bluffing on McCarthy, but like the rest of the NFL, they know the Vikings are already all in. Let’s hope the cards fall in Minnesota’s favor.
