J.J. McCarthy 'Squarely Behind' Sam Darnold on Vikings Depth Chart, per Report

Patrick Andres | Jun 6, 2024

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrates after the 34-13 win over Washington to win the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

In April's NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings snagged their quarterback of the future.

On the heels of a highly successful three-year Michigan tenure, quarterback J.J. McCarthy heard his name called with the 10th selection. His tantalizing potential appeared to win out over his unknown-quantity reputation—derived from how rarely the Wolverines asked him to win games on his own.

However, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, McCarthy still has some learning to do.

"Here's what we can say about McCarthy so far," Seifert wrote Wednesday. After two days of minicamp, and with one final week of OTAs remaining, he's squarely behind veteran Sam Darnold on the depth chart."

Minnesota inked Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract on March 12.

"During the practices open to reporters, Darnold has taken nearly all of the first-team reps, and more often than not, veteran Nick Mullens been the next quarterback to step in followed by McCarthy and then Jaren Hall," Seifert wrote.

Mullens and Hall accounted for half of the four quarterbacks to start games for the Vikings in 2023 after Kirk Cousins's Achilles injury. With Cousins gone, consistency at the sport's most important position is a must for Minnesota going forward.