It is difficult to look at the top of the Minnesota Vikings' 2024 NFL Draft class and not be interested in the future of their two first-round selections. J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner joining the purple and gold could impact the franchise moving forward.
Figuring out expectations for McCarthy and Turner will be challenging since it is difficult to know their roles during the upcoming season but the two prospects. However, that won't stop fans and analysts from giving their opinions on the Vikings' picks.
Thoughts on the two prospects vary wildly with some seeing McCarthy and Turner as future stars while others predict the two will struggle at the NFL level. Only time will tell how the picks pan out but they should have football fans interested.
Former Vikings GM shares his thoughts about Minnesota drafting J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner
Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman recently spoke on SiriusXM Radio about the team's first-round draft picks and gave his opinions. The conversation was shared on the SiriusXM NFL Radio account on X (formerly Twitter).
"I think [J.J. McCarthy] will be a great fit in Kevin O'Connell's offense."@Spielman_Rick explained why he liked what Minnesota did in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) May 11, 2024
📻 https://t.co/kDbLh5bBT0#SKOL | #Vikings | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZrvHUAQtIr
Spielman talked about how the Vikings moved up one spot to secure J.J. McCarthy. He talked about the risks and rewards of making that trade with the Jets but ultimately liked that Minnesota went and got their guy.
The former Vikings GM also shared unverified information from sources that Minnesota aggressively tried to move up to No. 3 overall to draft North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. That deal did not happen and the Patriots took Maye in that slot, removing a potential QB target for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
A belief that Spielman has about McCarthy is that he will be a great fit for Minnesota's offense under head coach Kevin O'Connell. The former Vikings GM did not elaborate on that statement and instead moved into talking about Dallas Turner.
Spielman called Turner "one of the premiere pass rushers" and added that the Vikings desperately needed that following the exit of Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum in free agency despite signing Van Ginkel and Greenard this offseason.
It sounds as though Rick Spielman approves of what the Minnesota Vikings did during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They attacked two areas of need and got great value by selecting a player who was arguably the best defender in the class and made sure they got a quarterback to steer the Viking ship now that Kirk Cousins joined the Atlanta Falcons.