NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings Call Teams About Top-10 Trade; Rivals Link Maye, McCarthy

The Minnesota Vikings "have been actively working the phones" leading up to the 2024 NFL draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"I've talked to multiple teams inside the top 10 who say the Vikings have been calling around," Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "Now, they're guessing, even though the Vikings aren't revealing who they're looking at, they're guessing it's either Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy as potential quarterback options."

Fowler added Minnesota is somewhat wary of trading up given its overall collection of picks this year. The Vikings don't have any selections in the second or third rounds, so packaging its two first-rounders (Nos. 11 and 23) with the best of what's left over could leave them with little else of value to help augment the roster.

The dilemma for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is that holding firm could mean missing one of the four best QB prospects available.

McCarthy fell to the Vikings with the 11th pick in Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft, but others have projected big trades, either by Minnesota or another team, with the Michigan star in mind.

The New York Giants at No. 6 might provide the first major inflection point in the first round. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are both saying the right things regarding quarterback Daniel Jones, but New York could plausibly take McCarthy and make him the new franchise QB.

Should the Giants focus their energies elsewhere, only four more picks would be standing between the Vikings and their first opportunity to be on the clock. Perhaps Adofo-Mensah would be a little more comfortable moving up in that scenario or even have enough confidence nobody will leapfrog Minnesota into the top 10.