“I’AM LEAVING” NFL quarterback Brandon Powell has announced that he is leaving the minnesota vikings today due to…..Read More.

Fortunately for McCarthy, he isn’t carrying the hopes and dreams of the Twins on his shoulders.

Granted, accuracy was one of the question marks to the 21-year-old’s game coming out of college at Michigan.

McCarthy completed 72.3 percent of his passes as a junior in 2023, but that’s partially because he excelled at hitting his receivers over the middle on short-to-medium throws. Per Pro Football Focus’ Nick Akridge, he had a 27.1 percent uncatchable rate on passes outside the numbers, which was 48th among eligible FBS quarterbacks.

When the Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins this offseason thanks to some timely tampering from the Atlanta Falcons (as well as a boatload of money), Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had to pivot quickly. In doing so, he signed former San Francisco 49ers backup Sam Darnold, and drafted JJ McCarthy out of Michigan as a long-term project.

Darnold projects to start this season, as he has experience doing so with the New York Jets and, per reports out of San Francisco, has grown into a starting-caliber passer in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The 49ers felt comfortable with Darnold. Surely he will work out just fine in Minnesota for the short term.

McCarthy, meanwhile, is more of an unknown. As arguably the biggest project of the first-round quarterbacks taken (though Drake Maye has an argument there), McCarthy has experience in a pro-style offense where he rarely had to test his arm. Those who have seen him throw on a consistent basis swear by his arm strength. His touch and accuracy could use some work, and playing under Darnold on the depth chart will allow McCarthy to further explore his skill-set.