When the Minnesota Vikings drafted quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft , they believed they found their next franchise quarterback. A meeting at the combine left a fantastic first impression.
When prospects go to the NFL Scouting Combine, they are subject to a lot of different experiences. They are put through the wringer, from on-field workouts to medical testing and interviews. The Vikings got some time with McCarthy and he left a major first impression on head coach Kevin O’Connell .
These interviews go only 15 minutes, so it’s really important for NFL teams to get all the information they can to and from the players in a quick and efficient manner. To leave that kind of impression off the bat in only 15 minutes says a lot about who McCarthy is as a player and person.
Right after that clip from the combine played, McCarthy mentioned that he had told just two other coaches that he would run through a brick wall for them. He won championships with both. Both sides are hoping McCarthy can make it three for three.
J.J. McCarthy wanted to leave a lasting impression on Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell after their meeting at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. So he did.
“I just want to say I’d run through a brick wall for you,” McCarthy said to O’Connell. “(For) anyone in the purple and gold, (I) promise you that.” O’Connell’s response? “Let’s go, man!”
“I’ve only said that to two coaches in my entire life, people that I have the utmost respect for and honor for,” McCarthy said of that line to O’Connell. “He definitely fits that mold. I’ve won championships with both of those guys previously, so hopefully we can add onto the third one.”
That moment in Indianapolis is just one cool insight from an 18-minute video released by the Vikings on Monday that takes viewers inside the team’s draft this year. It chronicles the Vikings meeting with McCarthy and trading up one spot to pick him. There’s footage from their combine meeting with Dallas Turner, and of the process to move up from 23 to 17 in the first round to select him. While much of the video is understandably dedicated to McCarthy and Turner, you also get some good content around the Vikings’ Day 3 haul.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has several entertaining lines throughout the video, including this one: “As fired up as you get for Dallas Turner, if we get Rouse, Jurgens, and a kicker, imma be like best draft ever!”
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