A lot can happen in a year. After J.J. McCarthy’s impressive rise in last April’s draft rankings, the NFL’s perspective on the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has shifted. The Vikings’ choice to stick with McCarthy raised eyebrows, especially after they let Sam Darnold join the Seattle Seahawks.
Yet, McCarthy needs to take the field eventually, doesn’t he? Regardless, at just 22 and without much experience, McCarthy has become a talking point for the national media. Naturally, a Green Bay Packers quarterback had something to say. Kurt Benkert, a Packers backup in 2021, shared his rankings of all first-round quarterbacks from the past two drafts as if they were entering the 2024 draft class.
Despite previously showing McCarthy some admiration, Benkert placed him at the bottom of his list. Fans quickly found evidence from last year when Benkert ranked McCarthy as the fourth-best quarterback in the 2024 draft class, even above Bo Nix and Drake Maye. His rankings were based on how Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward would fit into the 2024 class, suggesting Benkert’s view of the 2024 draft prospects post-college should have evolved.
“If this was your ranking of last year’s QBs before the draft, and it’s solely based on their prospect status and not rookie performances, what made you change your lineup?” one fan inquired. “Specifically, why did McCarthy drop?” Several fans also argued that McCarthy would be the top quarterback in this year’s draft, a notion supported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter during the 2024 season.
“J.J. McCarthy would have been a leading, if not the top, QB in this draft,” Schefter stated, noting that teams would be interested in trading for the Michigan quarterback. Schefter’s prediction came true, as the Vikings turned down numerous trade offers for McCarthy throughout the offseason, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Now, McCarthy faces criticism, a fate familiar to any Vikings quarterback. The team faced doubts last year for parting ways with Kirk Cousins and bringing in Darnold. Now, McCarthy is under similar scrutiny. Time will tell how he performs a year from now—and maybe Benkert will update his rankings once more.
