The Vikings have the right kind of quarterback to succeed in the NFL and the right formula to make it happen.
The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (left) and Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy share attributes that appear in all of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. (Photos by The Associated Press and Carlos Gonzalez, The Minnesota Star Tribune)
First rule of NFL analysis: Never compare anyone to Patrick Mahomes.
Second rule of NFL analysis: Never compare anyone to Patrick Mahomes, unless you have a chance to cheer up the frustrated Vikings fan in your life.
Let’s remember exactly how Mahomes became the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs and perhaps the greatest quarterback we’ve ever seen.
The Chiefs were a perennial playoff team. Their quarterback, Alex Smith, had been the first pick in the draft for another franchise, and he thrived in the offense of a renowned offensive guru, but the Chiefs went 1-4 in the playoffs with him at quarterback.
So they used a first-round pick, the 10th, on an athletic quarterback who was projected to be taken later. Mahomes spent most of his rookie season watching from the sideline. The rest has been Mahomes rewriting history.
How does that compare to the Vikings’ current quarterback predicament?
The Vikings were a competitive team and frequent playoff participant. Their quarterback, Sam Darnold, had been the first pick in the draft for another franchise, and he thrived in the offense of a renowned offensive guru, but Darnold and the Vikings collapsed in the last game of the regular season and the first game of the playoffs.
The parallels are not necessarily predictive, but they are fascinating.
Will McCarthy be the next Mahomes? Almost assuredly not.
Will McCarthy become the next multitalented young quarterback to thrive in a quality offensive system? That’s probably the way to bet.
Six quarterbacks stand above all others in terms of quarterbacks you would choose to build a franchise around right now, and one, Matthew Stafford, is nearing the end of his career. That leaves Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels.
What do the Fab Five have in common?
All were chosen in the first round by their current teams.
Yes, you can find someone like Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield as an undervalued project, or you can trade one veteran for another, as the Rams and Lions did. In the Super Bowl on Sunday, Jalen Hurts, a second-round pick, will try to guide a superior team to victory over Mahomes’ Chiefs.
But in today’s NFL, the best way to build a winner is to draft and develop your own first-round quarterback.
And have him be able to run.
That’s the other common denominator among the Fab Five. All five can pass efficiently from the pocket, scramble to create big passing plays and run for first downs and touchdowns when given the chance.
McCarthy projects to be that kind of player.
The other requirement for high-level quarterback success in the NFL is poise. McCarthy faced as much pressure as he ever will while guiding Michigan to a national championship, and making big plays in the fourth quarter. Poise will not be a problem.
McCarthy is set up to succeed with the Vikings. Will he break their Super Bowl drought? No one can predict that, not when the likes of Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Burrow, Jackson and Allen have failed to win one.
But if O’Connell can win 14 games with Darnold, the Vikings will be a postseason threat with McCarthy.