Minnesota Vikings are Favorites to Draft JJ McCarthy, Say Two Top Sportsbooks

The Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to pick No. 11 in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft and opinions on what they will do vary widely. Some think they will stand pat and draft one of the top defensive linemen coming out of this year’s class. Others believe they will swing big and move up to No. 2 or 3 to take Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

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Then, there are those who believe the Vikings will take their quarterback of the future in the first round but that they’ll stay at 11 or possibly even trade back, and still get their guy.

Which seems to be what the two biggest sportsbooks in the country, DraftKings and FanDuel, see as the most likely outcome for Michigan QB JJ McCarthy. At DraftKings, the Minnesota Vikings are +350 to be McCarthy’s landing spot. The same outcome is +470 at FanDuel, still the best odds of any team.

Betting Favorites to Draft JJ McCarthy

Those who like JJ McCarthy believe that he’ll be a lot closer to the top of the draft than what he is currently being projected by most experts and that’s because he doesn’t have the overall numbers that Drake Maye and Caleb Williams have, mostly due to the pro-style, establish the run style offense that McCarthy played in under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

What would McCarthy bring to Minnesota Vikings?

That doesn’t mean his numbers are bad, though. As a two-year starter for the Wolverines, McCarthy threw for 5,710 yards (68.5%), 44 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also ran for 508 yards and 8 touchdowns. He reached another level in his final season, though, pushing his completion percentage up to 72.3%, and absurd number for a starting QB at any level, but especially in the Big Ten.

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The Minnesota Vikings are currently slotted exactly around the time that McCarthy is expected to come off the board, which is part of why they are favorites to land him. I would think it’d be very difficult for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell to turn down the type of high-ceiling, high-floor quarterback that the 21-year-old McCarthy projects to be, should he fall into their laps at No. 11.