Kevin O'Connell unveils what the Vikings are searching for in their next QB

With two first-round draft picks in their possession and Kirk Cousins now busy manipulating the fan base of a new team, the Minnesota Vikings are in a prime position to add one of the top 2024 quarterback prospects to their roster in a few weeks.

Even before they were able to acquire an additional 2024 first-round selection in a trade with the Houston Texans earlier this month, many expected the Vikings to do almost whatever it would take to wind up with one of this year's top young signal-callers in April's draft.

But now that they have a pair of picks in the opening round, Minnesota trading up to land one of the quarterback prospects they desire seems like an inevitable outcome.

Kevin O'Connell reveals the ideal traits the Minnesota Vikings are looking for in a new QB

With each of this year's top passing prospects having their own strengths and weaknesses, some have wondered if there is one in particular who fits what the Vikings and head coach Kevin O'Connell run on offense.

During an interview with Vikings.com on Monday, O'Connell said the following about what he looks for in a quarterback when searching for one who could potentially fit in his offense.

"I think a quarterback in the NFL will always need to be accurate, first and foremost. In most NFL offenses, you have to have a certain level of smarts and football intelligence. How to run the show and make the other 10 guys on the field be at their best because of the way you do your job.

I think there's a level of toughness that goes into playing the quarterback position. Mentally and physically tough. Guys that can really overcome some real adversity, both during a drive, during a play, during a season [if] you hit a rough patch. You need this person to have some real makeup to him from a standpoint of toughness.

And then, in 2024, you talk about the ability to maybe have some athletic traits to impact the game.

Maybe the leadership traits in the locker room [as well]. It's a unique place, it's somewhere that we feel very strongly about, our locker room in Minnesota, we want to make sure whatever quarterback we're adding to this team has some real traits to only take that and make it better."

So, between the top three 2024 quarterback prospects outside of Caleb Williams in Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, and Drake Maye, McCarthy is the one who seems to fit just about everything O'Connell is looking for.

McCarthy was the most accurate of the three in 2023 (72.3 completion percentage), he never missed a game in college due to injury, he showed off his impressive athleticism during his Pro Day and during this year's NFL Scouting Combine, and he was described as an "elite leader" in his career at Michigan.

At the same time, O'Connell would likely be just fine if Minnesota ended up walking out of this year's NFL Draft with Daniels or Maye as their new quarterback instead of McCarthy.

But if we're just going by what the Vikings head coach desires the most from a quarterback, the former Michigan signal-caller fits the description.

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