Vikings Currently Betting Favorites to Draft J.J. McCarthy in April

Sportsbooks are buying in on the McCarthy to Minnesota hype.

The Vikings, who hold the 11th overall pick in April's draft, are currently the betting favorites to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. They're +300 on DraftKings and +450 on FanDuel. The Broncos, Raiders, and Seahawks — who pick in the 12-16 range in the first round — are among the teams behind Minnesota as potential destinations for McCarthy.

There's been plenty of speculation recently about the possibility of the Vikings taking McCarthy as their quarterback of the future. If they don't trade up into the top three picks for someone like Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, McCarthy could be their best option at No. 11. He's projected to be the fourth QB off the board this year, behind Caleb Williams/Maye/Daniels but ahead of Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. Even though McCarthy wasn't asked to do a ton in Michigan's run-heavy offense, he has significant upside due to his arm talent, athleticism, and toughness.

The fit makes a lot of sense; McCarthy seemingly checks many of the boxes that Kevin O'Connell looks for in his quarterbacks. Just 21 years old, he could sit behind a bridge veteran in Minnesota or potentially win the starting job right away. This idea works under the assumption that Kirk Cousins will price himself away from the Vikings next month, which is looking more likely by the day.

Interestingly, the Vikings are +470 to pick Nix on FD (the second-lowest odds) and +1600 on DK. With Penix, they're +480 on FD and +650 on DK. They're also +1200 to take Daniels and +5000 to take Williams (both on DK). Expect these odds to fluctuate quite a bit over the ten weeks between now and draft time.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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