4) Where will J.J. McCarthy land? The buzz around McCarthy has driven one of the biggest and most fascinating storylines of the pre-draft cycle, with the Michigan quarterback rising to the point where he’s being mentioned with the top passers in the entire class — or close to them, anyway.
Jeremiah believes the hype is real, at least in terms of teams’ interest, which has ramped up significantly since the NFL Scouting Combine and Michigan’s pro day. At the end of the day, Jeremiah doesn’t think McCarthy will last very long next Thursday.
“If you tell me that J.J. McCarthy goes beyond the 12th pick, I’d be shocked,” he said.
Twelve is where the Denver Broncos pick. One spot ahead of them at No. 11 overall are the Minnesota Vikings. They are the two teams Jeremiah mentioned when he was asked who most was connected to McCarthy.
The Vikings are in a better position to move up, owning two first-round selections (including No. 23 overall) and nine picks total. Denver owns eight selections, but six of them come after the 120th pick. The Broncos also lack a second-rounder this year.
McCarthy might even be in play inside the top five overall, depending on how aggressive the QB-needy teams get, and the Vikings likely will have the better shot of getting him with the stronger supply of ammunition.
“Everything’s on the table,” Jeremiah said. “Whether or not that’s a trade up to 4, 5, whether that’s a trade up just a couple spots, or whether those teams stand pat, I think all those options are in play.”
Jeremiah also believes that out of all the teams most rumored to be in the quarterback business this draft, the Vikings present the best chance for a rookie QB to succeed early on.
“I would say if you gave truth serum to the quarterbacks and the agents of all the top guys, every single one of them would say they would love nothing more than to go to the Minnesota Vikings,” Jeremiah said. “That would be the No. 1 choice.
“Of all these teams that are quarterback teams … that is by far the best landing spot for any quarterback to go into. It’s all set up, from the things that we talk about with the three Ps, with the play caller, the protection, the play makers, check, check, check.”
Jeremiah believes having Sam Darnold also helps the Vikings, in the sense that they won’t need to rush a rookie QB into the lineup. In his mind, it’s a spot that’s set up to help whichever QB ends up in Minnesota succeed.
“I can’t think of a better situation for a young quarterback than the one that the Minnesota Vikings have,” he said.
By contrast, Jeremiah called the Broncos’ situation “functional” and “sustainable” for a rookie QB — just not as attractive as what the Vikings can offer now.
“Look, it’s not the Vikings, but look, I think it’s set up to be functional,” Jeremiah said. “You look at having the offensive mind/play caller there with Sean (Payton) and (Joe) Lombardi having been together forever.”
“I put it this way. I think it’s set up to be sustainable. You’re not going to ruin the quarterback by throwing him out there with that group right now.”
2024-04-17 22:47:00
#takeaways #Daniel #Jeremiahs #conference #call
