'He definitely has an arm': Five things we know about J.J. McCarthy as he preps to be Vikings' starting QB

EAGAN, Minn. -- The satellite has nary shortage of opinions connected Minnesota Vikings backmost J.J. McCarthy.

Is helium acceptable to pb the Vikings to Super Bowl LX successful February? It's not hard to find idiosyncratic consenting to accidental yes. Is helium excessively weak-armed and small-statured to beryllium a semipermanent starter? That appraisal has floated astir the nationalist media arsenic well.

This scope of imaginable outcomes makes consciousness for a backmost who missed his rookie play with a torn close meniscus and has neither played nor practiced during an NFL regular season. What McCarthy has done, however, is physique up an inventory of offseason throws, decisions, mistakes, successes and maturation moments.

"It's been awesome," McCarthy said, "because they've truly pushed the limits connected conscionable what I tin handle, and that's what I asked for. I'd alternatively sweat successful grooming and bounds the bleeding connected the battlefield erstwhile we get there."

Over the 14 months since the Vikings made him the No. 10 prime successful the 2024 draft, McCarthy has participated successful 18 days of grooming camp, 15 OTAs, 3 days of rookie minicamp, six days of seasoned minicamp and 1 preseason game. That assemblage of enactment is large capable to marque immoderate informed judgments, astatine slightest for those who person witnessed them.

With 33 days remaining until McCarthy and the remainder of the Vikings' quarterbacks study to grooming camp, present are 5 offseason takeaways astir the 22-year-old who the Vikings anticipation volition make into their starter for the adjacent decade.

The limb is fine

McCarthy's limb spot was a taxable of nationalist treatment entering the draft, adjacent aft helium recorded a velocity of 61 mph connected a propulsion astatine the combine. He has besides said that helium erstwhile threw a shot 78 yards -- with the wind.

But velocity and region aren't afloat expressions of limb strength, nor bash they needfully correlate with semipermanent success. The lone applicable question is whether McCarthy tin marque each of the throws connected an NFL way tree, and implicit the past 2 offseasons, helium has.

"He decidedly has an arm," receiver Justin Jefferson said. "That's for sure. He tin decidedly zip it whenever helium needs to."

McCarthy's limb has looked particularly lively connected throws down the mediate of the field. His 1 interception during the 2024 preseason, and the 2 successful competitory drills that reporters saw this spring, were connected throws toward the sideline that cornerbacks jumped. Those mistakes, however, looked much similar issues of timing and decision-making than limb strength.

"A batch of [the nationalist doubt] conscionable comes with the stigma of playing astatine Michigan and not throwing the shot a lot," McCarthy said. "But astatine the aforesaid time, it could beryllium my frame. They don't spot a 6-5, 240-[pound] guy, truthful however tin you propulsion astatine 61 miles an hr astatine the combine? But astatine the extremity of the day, it's going to amusement up and the radical that know, know."

He's learning to alteration his throws

Jefferson noted past summertime that McCarthy tended to propulsion each shot the aforesaid mode -- hard and consecutive -- and contrasted that with however past year's starter, Sam Darnold, matched his velocity and trajectory to the situation. Darnold, of course, was successful his seventh NFL grooming camp.

Over time, NFL quarterbacks indispensable maestro astatine slightest three antithetic levels of passes: enactment drives, those that emergence and autumn rapidly for intermediate targets and those with capable arc to bent successful the aerial for longer-developing routes.

This spring, it was wide that McCarthy was experimenting with the levels, the aforesaid mode a shot pitcher mightiness trial and effort to grow his repertoire during outpouring training. That mightiness person been the lawsuit erstwhile McCarthy spotted receiver Jordan Addison unfastened heavy down the close seam. McCarthy's propulsion forced Addison to dilatory down to marque the catch, capable of a hold that a antiaircraft backmost successful a crippled concern mightiness person had clip to interruption up the play.

Speaking generally, McCarthy said helium was experimenting with his throws "every azygous day" this outpouring and added: "I judge I've grown the astir connected conscionable the antithetic level of trajectories of throw. At Michigan, I was benignant of a one-speed transportation benignant of guy. I had a mates deeper balls with level-three throws and worldly similar that, but [I'm] conscionable moving connected that two-ball and antithetic paces to the 'pitches' and shot location."

He has idiosyncratic magnetism

It's not a prerequisite for winning football, but it's surely preferable for a team's backmost to person the benignant of property that people draws radical into his orbit. At 22 years and 5 months, McCarthy is the second-youngest non-rookie connected the Vikings' roster. But players from some sides of the shot person noted his energetic property and quality to connect.

Veteran information Harrison Smith called McCarthy "a feline that I bask being astir a lot." During practices, McCarthy embraces a youthful goofiness, bouncing astir from players to coaches betwixt reps. Off the field, players find it casual to speech with him. As Smith enactment it: "He's his ain idiosyncratic and benignant of speaks his mind. [He] has his ain mode of reasoning astir things."

Jefferson noted that McCarthy "understands that helium is the starting backmost astatine this moment" and "brings that with him to practice, knowing that helium has to person that leadership." Though it volition transportation small correlation to the Vikings' occurrence this season, McCarthy knew the names of the bushed reporters who screen the squad by the clip OTAs began.

"The happening I learned astir myself," McCarthy said astatine the extremity of minicamp, "is conscionable the value that I clasp each azygous time and conscionable showing up, being the aforesaid feline each azygous day, bringing that attitude, effort and energy."

There are nary threats to his occupation connected the roster

The Vikings acquired Sam Howell successful a draft-day commercialized with the Seattle Seahawks, and Howell was usually the 2nd backmost to rotate into squad drills, pursuing McCarthy. That suggested Howell is the front-runner for the No. 2 job, but thing helium did this outpouring indicated helium volition propulsion McCarthy to start. Coach Kevin O'Connell said Howell -- who is entering his 4th NFL play -- was learning immoderate of the aforesaid lessons arsenic McCarthy this spring.

"He's benignant of similar J.J.," O'Connell said, "where he's made immoderate throws wherever you're like, 'Man, astir apt shouldn't person made that throw. But I present cognize connected this play, I've got to beryllium cautious of this.' And it's each growth."

O'Connell saved immoderate of his apical praise for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.

"I deliberation Max is arsenic astute arsenic immoderate young subordinate that I've been around," O'Connell said, "from a standpoint of [the information that he] truly hadn't been exposed to a batch of reps this spring, but his ownership of the accusation [is] benignant of close connected par."

O'Connell hasn't crowned a starter yet

O'Connell isn't the archetypal NFL manager to temper expectations astir a highly anticipated young quarterback. But his comments connected McCarthy this outpouring lucifer the oculus test. He precocious referenced the "10,000 hr rule" popularized by writer Malcolm Gladwell arsenic the unsmooth signifier timeframe it takes to maestro a skill.

"I consciousness truly bully astir wherever he's astatine fundamentally," O'Connell said. "But it's inactive those 10,000 reps, those 10,000 hours, and we're not that acold into that process, and I situation him each time to clasp it. [He] can't beryllium excessively hard connected himself, but astatine the aforesaid time, 'What is your modular to get not wherever you are close now, but wherever you privation to get to?' And he's done a bully occupation of attacking that each day."