JJ McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh are forever linked together in Michigan’s history book after delivering the 2023 national championship. However, the two were linked in the 2024 NFL Draft per an updated mock draft.

Following the start of the NFL’s free agency period, ESPN’s Field Yates updated his look at a mock draft. A flurry of free agent quarterback signings and other trades involving QBs leads Yates to project 4 QBs coming off the board in the top 5 picks.

In his updated mock draft, McCarthy comes off the board as a top-5 pick at No. 5 overall, but it is not the Los Angeles Chargers who would be making that pick. According to Yates, it would be the Minnesota Vikings jumping up via a trade with Harbaugh’s Chargers to take McCarthy with a package of picks including Nos. 11 and 23 this year and a 2025 first-round pick.

Here’s what Yates had to say about McCarthy potentially being drafted by the Vikings:

In moving to No. 5, the Vikings jump ahead of the Giants, another team some believe would consider a quarterback (picking at No. 6). Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins to the Falcons in free agency and signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal this week. But while he is still just 26 years old, I do not view the signing of Darnold as prohibitive to drafting a quarterback. That deal just gives the Vikings insurance under center, and Minnesota really needs to reset at the position and find its long-term guy. McCarthy is widely viewed as the fourth-best QB in this class and was sixth in completion percentage last season at Michigan (72.3%). A new era for the Vikings arrives.

Why it makes sense

While the idea of McCarthy playing for Harbaugh in the NFL would be exciting, the Chargers are entrenched at the QB position with star Justin Herbert under center. There’s no need for Los Angeles to make a change, but Minnesota is hungry for a new QB.

Kirk Cousins has been Minnesota’s starting QB since 2018, but an Achilles injury ended his 2023 season after just 8 games. Now, the Vikings have a void to fill at the position but at a key juncture for the franchise.

Minnesota still has superstar receiver Justin Jefferson to go with other talented pieces in tight end TJ Hockenson and young receiver Jordan Addison. However, Jefferson’s time on his rookie contract is running out, and the Vikings need to show they have the right pieces in place to secure his long-term commitment.

Adding McCarthy would give Minnesota a young QB to build around, and the presence of Jefferson would help make life a bit easier for McCarthy’s transition into the NFL. While some might balk at the idea of McCarthy as a top-5 pick, his stock continues to soar after the NFL Combine.

In a league dominated by QB play, Minnesota has no choice but to go get the best one available, and trading into the top 5 is likely what it will take to get McCarthy at this juncture. Fans can continue to track all the odds for the draft via Tradition’s Ohio online sportsbooks.