Disappointing seasons tend to bring the future closer into view, and, in all likelihood, the Minnesota Vikings will end up with a top-15 pick in next year’s draft. It’s exciting in some ways, and there are a dozen different directions Minnesota can go, including a possible trade-up into the top-five. But, despite the multitude of options, J.J. McCarthy’s impressive performance against the Washington Commanders should have told the Vikings exactly what direction to go on draft day.
The Vikings took a different offensive approach against Washington, one that not only better suited McCarthy but also the team as a whole. They scaled back the playbook, sure, but Kevin O’Connell finally embraced the run game after weeks of inexplicably passing on rushing downs. Minnesota racked up 162 yards on the ground and converted six of 11 third downs and two of two on fourth downs.
Of course, Minnesota benefited by playing the 31st-ranked defense in the league, but the game showed a clear formula for success with McCarthy at quarterback — at least for now. Keep reads short and quick, and run the rock. It was a game plan fans had longed for, and it ended with a 31-0 shutout, just days after being shut out themselves.
So what does this newfound strategy have to do with next April? Running back Aaron Jones will be 32 next season, and while his contract makes him a difficult cut candidate, he’s probably not in line to carry a starter-level load in 2026. Jordan Mason is a quality player, but his long rush this year is just 24 yards. He’s better suited as a bruising, complementary back. For this offense to work, the Vikings need a star running back to not only take a load off of McCarthy’s shoulders but also to get crucial first downs that have become so scarce in 2025.
Luckily for the Vikings, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love will be right in the range to be drafted with their first-round pick. The star rusher has been mocked anywhere from a top-10 pick to towards the end of the first round. Still, he’s far and away the top talent at running back in next year’s draft. He finished the season with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry, and would be an immediate boost to Minnesota’s offense.
Minnesota is averaging a respectable 4.6 yards per carry this season, but it has lacked explosive plays and still ranks 24th in total rush yards. Love offers home-run play potential, and a running back who can add that type of threat to the offense can do wonders for McCarthy. He had 37 runs of at least 10 yards this past season at Notre Dame, while the Vikings have just 29 as a team through 13 games this year.
While the notion of taking a running back in the first round still carries some stigma, recent years have shown it’s perfectly acceptable for the right players. Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Ashton Jeanty are clear-cut team elevators, and every single one would go in the first round again in a hypothetical re-draft. So the thought that the Vikings might just go the “best available” route with Love isn’t too far-fetched.
While the Vikings have needs in the secondary or quarterback, depending on who you ask, getting a top talent in a position of need would be hard to pass up. Besides, at this point, it would be extremely difficult for the Vikings to move on from McCarthy to go up and draft a quarterback. One good game won’t absolve him from a season of well below-average play. However, now there’s a seed planted, and even a mediocre finish to the season for McCarthy would be more than enough to secure at least a chance at starting again in 2026.
In somewhat similar situations, the Arizona Cardinals moved on from top-10 pick Josh Rosen after one year, and Johnny Manziel lasted only 15 games with the Browns. Still, McCarthy has at least shown flashes and has never had any off-field issues.
While his start to 2025 was about as bad as it could get, games like the one in Washington show that there’s a world where things pan out for McCarthy. The Vikings may opt to bring in a veteran quarterback for some competition. Still, barring an epic collapse worse than his first few starts, there’s no longer any realistic scenario that the Vikings go quarterback in Round 1 of the draft.
Love offers the best of both worlds: an injection of youth in the run game and a player to take some of the burden off McCarthy. After Sunday’s display of complementary football that led to a dominating victory, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings won’t use it as the blueprint moving forward. While some improvement from McCarthy this offseason would speed things along, adding Love would allow Minnesota to be a bit more patient with their 22-year-old franchise quarterback.
