Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy is going to find out where he will play in the NFL on Thursday during the first round of the NFL Draft, and there is a lot of buzz regarding the Minnesota Vikings potentially trading up for him. McCarthy spoke about potentially playing for the Vikings and head coach Kevin O'Connell during an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast.

“It would mean the world just because of coach O'Konnell,” JJ McCarthy said on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “He's a guy that I'd run through a brick wall for, everything that he wants to do with his football team is something that I want to be a part of. And obviously, being the NFC North, being a Bears fan my entire life, and being able to play at Soldier Field and stay in the Midwest and all that good stuff would just be a dream come true. Yeah I love what they're building, obviously the weapons there are limitless and you know they got just a great thing going for them, so it'd be just a blessing to be a part of it.”

There is some skepticism regarding McCarthy's outlook at the NFL level due to the amount that Michigan football ran the ball, and some believe he was not tested enough in that offense. However, some believe that McCarthy's experience in a Jim Harbaugh system gives him knowledge of NFL concepts that could be helpful in the league.

With the departure of Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, along with the Vikings holding two first-round picks in this year's draft, Minnesota is very much in play for a quarterback like McCarthy.

How can the Vikings secure JJ McCarthy?

The Vikings will most likely have to package the No. 11 and No. 23 picks in the draft to move up to get McCarthy, or another quarterback they like. The No. 1 pick seems set in stone with the Chicago Bears likely taking Caleb Williams. The No. 2 pick seems likely to be Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders. Although Daniels is not nearly as set in stone to go No. 2 to the Commanders as Williams is, it seems unlikely that Washington will trade out of the No. 2 spot.

As of right now, the New England Patriots are fielding calls on the No. 3 pick, but seem most likely to stick in that spot and decide between McCarthy and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Many believe Maye will be the pick. That leaves McCarthy as the fourth quarterback off the board, and the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 4 pick will not be in the quarterback conversation, meaning they could trade back. Arizona could be dead set on Marvin Harrison Jr., however.

If the Cardinals are dead set on taking Harrison, that means McCarthy could be available at No. 5, when the Los Angeles Chargers are set to pick, so the Vikings could offer their haul of picks to Los Angeles to try to get McCarthy before the New York Giants at No. 6. That would be a logical spot, as the Giants have been rumored as a team interested in a quarterback.

It will be interesting to see if the Vikings can move up and secure their quarterback. It seems like McCarthy would welcome the idea of playing in Minnesota.