Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is heading to Minnesota
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy is starting his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings after being selected No. 10 in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
McCarthy, who spent three seasons with the Wolverines, completed his college career with a championship win under former coach Jim Harbaugh, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
"That's where he wanted to go. That's where he had his heart set. I'm just so happy for him," said Harbaugh. "I love him like a son. I was praying and pulling for it to work out the way he wanted it to work out, and the stars aligned. Minnesota got themselves a great player."
He was widely seen as the most pro-ready of all the prospects, thanks to his combination of leadership, intelligence and toughness. Still, there's no guarantee the Vikings got the right guy, given the track record across the NFL of success by first-round quarterbacks is essentially a coin-flip proposition.
Dreams come true for @jjmccarthy09. We're so proud of you!
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 26, 2024
📺 2024 #NFLDraft – April 25-27 on NFL Network/ESPN/ABC.#ProBlue pic.twitter.com/9Hl9JSsSMN
Minnesota selected the 21-year-old after a trade between the Vikings and the New York Jets pushed the team from the No. 11 overall spot to No. 10.
"His ball placement and timing need to improve to help mitigate an average operation time due to a windup release," according to McCarthy's NFL profile. "McCarthy doesn't seek to play out of structure but is fairly consistent at making positive plays when it happens and ramps up his focus late in games and on third downs. He is confident and seems to have the ability to take slights and digest it as competitive fuel."
McCarthy is the first player from Michigan selected in the 2024 draft and the fifth quarterback in the first round. He is the first quarterback selected in the first round by the Vikings since Teddy Bridgewater in 2014.