J.J. McCarthy Is about to Shock People

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy hasn’t thrown a regular season pass yet, but clues point to his play in 2025 shocking a lot of folks, especially the national crowd.

The Vikings extracted McCarthy from Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but his debut became delayed when he tore his meniscus in his first-ever preseason game.

Barring injury, his maiden voyage will begin in 11 weeks, and here’s why the 22-year-old passer will cause those outside of the Twin Cities to raise their eyebrows.

What Will Surprise Some from Vikings Quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2025 ⤵️

The Arm Strength Concerns for J.J. McCarthy Will Die

Led by Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd but not exclusive to his show, a semi-prevalent narrative claims McCarthy’s arm strength is suspect. Cowherd said last week that McCarthy doesn’t do a single thing overly well, and to align with his elite peers, he might need a single claim to fame.

The problem? Re-watch McCarthy’s full game or highlights at the University of Michigan. If one leaves that sitting with the belief that his arm strength isn’t there, it may be because that was a preexisting theory that one can’t shake.

NFL Draft Buzz wrote, “McCarthy’s arm talent is evident with the way he can zip the ball through tight spaces, reminiscent of his clutch throws during the Ohio State game.”

That site also remarked, “McCarthy’s deep ball accuracy is on display with several of his touchdown passes, particularly against Purdue where he highlighted his ability to drop balls into tight coverage,” and “ball velocity is a strength, but he often lasers passes when a softer touch is needed, particularly against layered zone coverages or when dropping it in the bucket over linebackers and in front of safeties.”

For those who think McCarthy has a middle-of-the-road arm, they’ll quickly be astonished when the opposite shows up in the Vikings’ offense.

Vikings Could Shatter Vegas Win Forecasts

The regular season is about 2.5 months away, and the Vikings are scheduled to win about eight or nine games. The same oddsmakers labeled Minnesota for six or seven wins at this time last year, and it later tallied a 14-3 record.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily … More about Dustin Baker