How the Lions helped the Vikings land J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft

As Detroit Lions fans were presented with the dilemma of cheering or booing a former Michigan quarterback getting selected by the Minnesota Vikings during last week's NFL Draft, many of them likely didn't realize their favorite team actually played a role in their division rival landing J.J. McCarthy.

In order for the Vikings to move up in the first round of this year's draft to select McCarthy, they made a trade with the New York Jets. The deal sent Minnesota the 10th overall pick in the first round and the 203rd pick in the sixth round in exchange for the 11th (first), 129th (fourth), and 157th (fifth) overall selections.

That 129th pick in the fourth round was originally acquired by the Vikings during their trade with the Lions back in the middle of the 2022 season, which resulted in Minnesota winding up with T.J. Hockenson. So, in a round-a-bout sort of way, Detroit trading Hockenson to their NFC North rival also resulted in the Vikings landing their next potential franchise quarterback.

After drafting J.J. McCarthy, did the Minnesota Vikings win the T.J. Hockenson trade with the Detroit Lions?

With the 2024 NFL Draft now in the books, every selection that was involved in the trade that resulted in the Lions sending Hockenson to Minnesota has been used.

Below is the list of everything that was acquired by both teams in the trade and how each draft pick was used

Vikings Get:

- T.J. Hockenson
- 2023 Fourth-Round Pick = used in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to draft safety Jay Ward
- 2024 Fourth-Round Pick = used in a trade with the New York Jets to draft quarterback J.J. McCarthy

Lions Get:

- 2023 Second-Round Pick = used in multiple trades to eventually draft quarterback Hendon Hooker
- 2024 Third-Round Pick = used in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys to draft cornerback Terrion Arnold

When it comes to the draft selections, an argument can be made that each team landed a similar total amount of talent with the picks they acquired in the 2022 trade. However, the Vikings acquiring Hockenson in the deal, a multi-time Pro Bowler, gives them the edge as the ultimate winner of the trade for the time being.

Obviously, this could change during the next few years if Hendon Hooker and Terrion Arnold end up reaching their full potential with the Lions and McCarthy and Jay Ward turn out to be disappointments for Minnesota.

But for now, it seems like the Vikings came away from the trade with the best results.

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