Soaring QB prospect lands in Vikings lap in recent 2024 mock draft

A recent mock from Yahoo Sports has the Minnesota Vikings ending up with former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

We haven't even reached this year's NFL Scouting Combine yet, but many are already picking up on the likelihood of the Minnesota Vikings selecting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft in April.

It's the offseason, so 2024 mock drafts are released almost every day, and recently, a significant number of them have the Vikings using their first pick on one of the top quarterback prospects.

This was the case in a recent mock from Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald and Nate Tice, as they have Minnesota staying put in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and using the No. 11 selection to land former Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy.

Former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy continues to be linked to Minnesota Vikings prior to 2024 NFL Draft

McDonald and Tice point to McCarthy being a good fit for coaches who come from the Shanahan coaching tree, which is a group that includes Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.

Interestingly, they didn't make Kirk Cousins leaving Minnesota this offseason a requirement for the team to draft McCarthy. They believe the former Michigan quarterback could end up with the Vikings this year whether Cousins re-signs with the team or not.

This is certainly not the first time McCarthy has been linked to Minnesota this offseason, especially in the last few days.

In addition to Yahoo Sports, recent mock drafts from CBS Sports, The 33rd Team, NFLMocks.com, FanBuzz, and USA Today all have the former Michigan passer landing with the Vikings in the opening round of the 2024 draft.

Earlier this week, we also wrote about how the DraftKings Sportsbook currently has Minnesota with the highest odds in the NFL to end up with McCarthy in this year's NFL Draft.

If the former Michigan signal-caller is still on the board when it comes time for the Vikings to make their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft in April, will he become the first quarterback to be drafted in the opening round by the purple and gold since 2014?