Mel Kiper Jr. Suggests J.J. McCarthy Could Land Vikings 3 NFL Draft Picks in Trade

The Minnesota Vikings could reportedly get three draft picks for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy if they decide to deal the signal-caller, per ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (6:40 mark).

"There's talk that J.J. could bring three draft picks, which would include the No. 1 pick overall, by the way," Kiper said during a mock draft session with ESPN's Field Yates. "OK, so that's in the discussion because it could be a possibility."

McCarthy just missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a torn meniscus. Veteran Sam Darnold, who was brought in as a bridge quarterback on a one-year deal, proceeded to lead Minnesota to a 14-3 record after throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Conceivably, Minnesota could sign Darnold to a long-term deal and make him the team's long-term signal-caller even though the Vikings just traded up to select McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in April.

ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported on Jan. 1 that the Vikings should be getting trade calls about McCarthy this offseason.

However, multiple people who cover the Vikings, including Matthew Coller of Purple Insider and Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune, have thrown cold water on the idea of Minnesota trading McCarthy (h/t Jonathan Harrison of Minnesota Vikings on SI).

We'll see what happens soon enough as the Vikings have big decisions to make regarding the future of the quarterback position. In the interim, Minnesota is set to begin the playoffs Monday with a NFC Wild Card game at the Los Angeles Rams.