Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy ? That is the question that hangs over the Minnesota Vikings with less than two months until the NFL regular season kicks off. Eager to avoid another disappointing campaign, the Vikings opted for some competition in the quarterback room, adding Murray this offseason. The former Michigan man hasn't lived up to expectations, paving the way for the 2019 No. 1 overall pick to potentially win the job in training camp. Drew Brees, a Super Bowl champion and New Orleans Saints legend, weighed in on the battle. "I think both of those guys have a lot to prove," Brees said to USA TODAY Sports' Madison Tenenbaum. Brees noted that McCarthy just hasn't been on the field enough in his short career, while Murray is getting a fresh start. However, the former Cardinals ' signal-caller has the added task of endearing himself to a new team, making for an intriguing competition. Check out the video above for Brees' full explanation and why it's too early to give up on McCarthy. OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans) CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs) RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions) WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears) OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans) OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans) CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs) RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions) WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drew Brees weighs in on Vikings QB battle: 'A lot to prove'
Jordan Addison, WR for the Minnesota Vikings, is looking to rebound after a disappointing 2025 season where his production was hampered by a suspension and drops. Despite the unsettled quarterback situation and increased target competition, his current ADP (WR42) suggests value, as he has a proven track record of strong production. The Vikings have exercised his fifth-year option, indicating belief in his future potential
NFL training camps open up this week, which means the fantasy football season is fast approaching. While most teams know who will be the starting QB come Week 1, others will be figuring that out in heated competitions. Yahoo analyst Matt Harmon poses the biggest QB questions for fantasy going into training camps. Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season Of all the quarterback battles we’ll discuss here, the one taking place in Minnesota is the least likely, in my view, to be a real competition. The Vikings are insistent that J.J. McCarthy will get an even shot to be the QB1 over Kyler Murray but I’m highly skeptical. My sentiment isn’t unique. Maybe Murray doesn’t hit as the starter; perhaps McCarthy can improve over an all-out flop season in his first showing as a pro. At this current moment, Murray, while a flawed player, is a better option heading into Week 1. McCarthy’s 4.31 adjusted net yards per pass attempt in 2025 ranked 40th out of 45 passers with 100-plus attempts. Murray ranked 37th with 4.72, by far the lowest mark of his career. Even in his worst season as a pro in a far inferior environment, Murray was objectively better than McCarthy. Unless McCarthy is just a dramatically improved version of the player we saw last year, I expect Murray to start the vast majority, if not all, of the games in 2026. As the starter, his rushing chops alone make him a clear QB1 candidate in fantasy but he’s also a strong fit in a Vikings’ passing game that’s extremely downfield oriented, even if he won’t access the middle of the field as much as Sam Darnold did for Kevin O’Connell in 2024. The Browns attempted to soft-launch the idea that Deshaun Watson would get another crack as their starter in 2026, despite missing all of last season. Coming out of OTAs, it sounds like Shedeur Sanders has closed the gap. That probably says more about Watson’s current lack of potency, which should be no shock considering how the last few years have gone for him. Now, Sanders wasn’t great in his own right last season. His 35.5% dropback success rate ranked 43rd out of 45 qualifying passers last season, besting only Jets UDFA rookie Brady Cook and his teammate Dillon Gabriel . I can hear an argument that he’s slightly better than those numbers and could even take a step forward with improved talent around him and a better play-caller in Todd Monken installed as the head coach. My guess is we see both Watson and Sanders make starts for Cleveland this season. We may even get a Taylen Green start toward the end of the season if the Browns want to take a look at the highly-athletic quarterback; get ready to see him in sicko waiver wire columns, if so. All this means is the Browns don’t have their 2027 quarterback on the roster but we should still track this situation since they do suddenly have an abundance of interesting young weapons. Other than the fact they’re both left-handed, it’s hard to get two more different stylistic passers than Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. Tagovailoa gets rid of the ball quickly and operates well over the middle, despite obvious arm strength limitations. Penix doesn’t throw over the middle much and has a laborious throwing motion but can access deep outside-the-numbers throws thanks to his aggressive mindset and howitzer of an arm. That sets the Falcons up for a quietly intriguing quarterback battle in camp, if Penix is healthy enough to push for the QB1 gig coming off an ACL tear. I’d bet that Tagovailoa opens the season as the starter, but we see Penix at some point. Given their disparate approaches to playing quarterback, it would be hard to argue that the specific starter won’t have an effect on how players like Drake London , Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts Sr. score fantasy points this season. It’s a little bizarre that we’re set to open training camps and the Cardinals still don’t have an agreement in place that satisfies both their desires and what Jacoby Brissett wants [... truncated ...]
We’re almost there, folks: training camp. While the NFL offseason is tediously long, I’m usually fine and adequately preoccupied with baseball and the usual summer activities that fill evenings and weekends. The World Cup was also a welcome distraction this year. Nonetheless, when the MLB All-Star Break hits, the itch becomes impossible to scratch, and football season can’t arrive soon enough. The focus will be on the quarterback competition. Since I last touched on the topic a few weeks ago, the odds have shifted ever so slightly in J.J. McCarthy ’s favor (-770, 88.5% implied probability, down from -1000, 90.9%). Regardless, it can still comfortably be filed under “shock” if Kyler Murray isn’t under center in Week 1. How I feel and what I want are utterly irrelevant. The important thing is that the Vikings ’ front office has secured the appropriate insurance policy with Murray and (a healthy) Carson Wentz to ensure last year’s quarterback situation is not repeated. Good luck to Kyler and J.J., and whatever happens, happens. There’ll be plenty of time to analyze and discuss all of that soon enough. For the purpose of this article, I’d like to take a look at the Top 5 non-QB competition-related storylines I’ll be focused on when training camp begins in a few days. KOC Scheme Tweaks? Year 5 is always a tricky spot for head coaches, especially those who also call plays. Tendencies are well known, and situational preferences are closely scouted. It’s wise at this point to consider new looks, or at minimum, tweaks to established norms. Stubbornness and a refusal to do so can be counterproductive. Take Mike Zimmer. He was a “the scheme is the scheme” guy. I specifically remember misplaced confidence, in quotes, before the 2020 season. The result? It was fantastic from 2014-2019, but then it literally fell off a cliff. There was no gradual decline; it went from great to horrific in record time. I certainly don’t expect that from KOC, but perhaps slightly less reliance on 11 Personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) and addressing pass-vs.-run balance and short-yardage criticisms wouldn’t hurt. In 2025, 11 Personnel was used for approximately 60-65% of snaps, and 55-70% in prior seasons. This comes as the Vikings were effective in EPA/pass metrics out of 12 Personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) when it’s been used upwards of 25% of the time. KOC could look no further than his mentor, Sean McVay, and what McVay did with the Rams last year. He embraced 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) far more than ever before, with tremendous results. I can’t get over this : From 2021-24, Los Angeles used 13 personnel on just six plays total, and against the Jaguars, they ran 13 personnel on nearly 40% of their snaps. The Vikings could definitely benefit from some unpredictability this season. Likewise, given that Murray is among the most mobile QBs in history and many of McCarthy’s best highlights came from him creating plays on the ground, incorporating more read-option and designed runs to maximize this makes a ton of sense. Yes, I’m well aware that KOC isn’t going to show many substantive changes in open practices and preseason games, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. And it doesn’t mean you won’t see a hint of something in small doses here and there. Who Will Be WR4? The starting three of Justin Jefferson , Jordan Addison , and Jauan Jennings is set, but it gets interesting after that. While it may not have a dramatic impact this year, the WR4 could see considerable playing time in the future, as Addison has yet to sign an extension and Jennings’ deal is only for this season. My optimism that former third-round pick Tai Felton would be ready to assume the WR3 role this season was premature. Now there appears to be a legitimate competition for WR4. UFA Dillon Bell, out of Georgia, is an interesting prospect with clear dual-threat capabilities similar to Deebo Samuel . His output was not eye-popping by any stretch, but he seemed to be part of many
[... truncated ...]
Quarterbacks make the football world go round. Every NFL season possesses quarterbacks that break out to ascend to new heights, like 2025 NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye , as well as new lows like Minnesota Vikings 2024 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy , a passer who ranked dead last in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (72.6) in 2025. So, which quarterbacks' respective values are a little overinflated or underinflated entering 2026? Here is a look at some of the top selections for the most overrated and underrated quarterbacks, including the "Madden NFL 27" cover man. Caleb Williams is the NFL's biggest rollercoaster passer. The highs can be incredibly high. He helped lead the Bears back from a franchise-record 18-point deficit in a 31-27 wild-card round win over the archrival Green Bay Packers , and he helped force overtime against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round with a miracle, fourth-down touchdown heave. Those miracle plays, and his 3,942 yards passing to set Chicago's single-season passing yards record, positioned him to be on the cover of "Madden NFL 27" this summer. However, the high level of universal praise for Williams as the first Bears quarterback with a pulse since, perhaps, the pre-2010 NFC championship game Jay Cutler is a little much. The reason Chicago fell behind in both of their 2025 playoff games and lost in overtime to the Rams is because of Williams' inefficiency. He morphed into a turnover machine in the postseason, throwing two interceptions while completing just 24 of his 48 passes (50%) in the win against the Packers before throwing three more interceptions on 23 of 42 passing (54.8%) against Los Angeles. The third interception against the Rams came in overtime and doomed the Bears to defeat. That extreme level of inefficiency in the postseason wasn't an outlier. He led the NFL in 2025 with 12 games possessing a completion percentage of 60% or lower, and no other quarterback registered a double-digit number of games in that category. Cam Ward was the closest with eight such games. The Bears' signal caller finished the 2025 regular season with a 58.1% completion percentage, the second-worst in the league among 33 qualified quarterbacks. He finished ahead of only Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and his 57.6% figure -- one that was so bad they brought in Arizona Cardinals castoff Kyler Murray to compete with their former 10th overall pick quarterback for the starting job. Williams' fundamentals still need plenty of polishing. Williams' potential is tantalizing because he clearly possesses a high ceiling thanks to phenomenal arm talent and mobility. However, the hope and buzz about Williams currently outpace the reality of his latest on-field performance last season. Bo Nix is an incredibly unique quarterback. He led the NFL with 612 passing attempts in 2025, but he failed to crack 4,000 yards passing, thanks to an average of 6.4 yards per attempt that ranked 28th among 33 qualified quarterbacks. That average was sandwiched in between washed versions of Aaron Rodgers (6.7 yards per pass attempt) and Kirk Cousins (also 6.4 yards per pass attempt). Nix's inconsistencies helped produce sluggish victories against the Kansas City Chiefs ' third-string quarterback, Chris Oladokun , on Christmas in Week 17 (20-13), and a 19-3 home win over the Los Angeles Chargers ' backups. The young quarterback's lumps directly led to Denver struggling to consistently drive the football down the field. Three of the top four teams with the most punts in the 2025 regular season -- the Browns (93), Titans (78) and Raiders (74) -- missed the playoffs and fired their respective head coaches . The fourth team in that group is Nix's Broncos, with 75 punts. He benefits from a strong offensive line and a strong defense. Add in the ankle injury, and it will be interesting to see what happens next in his career. In Baker Mayfield's first two seasons wit
[... truncated ...]
The article previews the Week 16 matchup between the Commanders and Vikings, highlighting the coaching connections and contrasting team situations. The Vikings are in an interesting spot with veteran Kyler Murray and young QB JJ McCarthy, while the Commanders are also navigating their own roster evolution
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson did not suddenly stop being an elite dynasty asset because 2025 went sideways. The touchdowns vanished. He scored only twice, and Minnesota cycled through J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer while Jefferson finished with 84 catches for 1,048 yards on 141 targets. It was his worst full season, yet he still cleared 1,000 yards for the sixth time in six years. One season earlier, he posted 103 receptions, 1,533 yards, and 10 scores. The quarterback question remains, with McCarthy and Kyler Murray headed for a camp battle, while Jauan Jennings joins Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson in a deeper group of pass-catchers. None of that changes the larger point. Jefferson turned 27 in June, remains under contract through 2028, and sits fourth in RotoBaller's dynasty wide receiver rankings. He will cost plenty. For a contender with depth to spare, though, this is the rare moment to see whether a frustrated manager will move him. Rebuilders should hold unless the return includes another cornerstone asset
The Real Forno Show discusses Minnesota Vikings storylines, including Brian Flores' rookie snap count philosophy and the ongoing Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy quarterback debate. Forness argues that context, not just raw numbers, dictates rookie usage under Flores, while the panel debates which quarterback would better fit Kevin O'Connell's offense
When it comes to the 2027 quarterback class, hope springs eternal. Especially after a 2026 class that produced two first-rounders in Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson , and a 2025 class that produced two in Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart , the NFL prayer is that the 2027 group of signal-callers is more like the 2024 version, when there were three taken with the first three picks, six in the top 12, and four legit NFL starters in Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels , Drake Maye , and Bo Nix . Even the relative stragglers (Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy) haven’t run entirely out of road when it comes to their NFL potential. Ostensibly, the 2027 class looks absolutely ridiculous from a tools and potential perspective. We could have Texas ’ Arch Manning , Oregon ’s Dante Moore , Ohio State’s Julian Sayin , Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, South Carolina ’s LaNorris Sellers , Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker , Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr, and Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby (depending on how Sorsby is affected by recent gambling allegations) all fighting to rest atop next year’s QB draft listings, and there are ways in which each one could do it. Not to mention the fact that there will be a surprise interloper who comes out of nowhere to show NFL potential. That’s at least eight quarterbacks for NFL teams to consider next year. Of course, we also know that not every sure-thing prospect will ultimately become that even before he’s drafted; we’ve all seen the super-hyped guys fall down when they get hit without a plan. The idea with this series is to evaluate each of the prominent future prospects with one eye on what they’ve already done, and the other on what they need to do in order to reach their ultimate ceiling. We continue the deep dive with Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, who fought to stay in school despite a 2025 season that had him as a more than credible NFL prospect. Last season, Chambliss completed 294 of 448 passes (65.6%) for 3,934 yards (8.8 YPA), 22 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 106.9. He also ran the ball 130 times for 585 yards (4.5 YPA), eight touchdowns and three fumbles. After that, Chambliss filed a lawsuit to contend the NCAA denying him an extra year of eligibility, and he won that case. Now that he has another developmental year before he tries the NFL on for size, what’s already on the ball, and what does he need to refine? Let’s dive into the tape. One of the most interesting things about Chambliss as a smaller, inherently mobile quarterback, is that he doesn’t need to leave the pocket to hit the middle of the field. Last season, when throwing to the middle of the field (directly to the middle; not middle left or middle right), Chambliss completed 46 of 70 passes for 825 yards, eight touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 144.0. His 44.45 EPA on such throws was the NCAA’s 11th-best (minimum 50 attempts), and it’s one of the more NFL-ready parts of his game. Teams at the next level that work their passing games over the middle of the field (or want to do so) won’t have to take leave of that notion with Chambliss as their quarterback. On throws outside the pocket last season, Chambliss completed 37 of 64 passes for 500 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 97.1. Chambliss has a good sense of his own mechanics when he’s throwing on the move — the arm strength is enough for him to hit his targets when he has to throw off-platform, and when he rights his shoulders to the target, he’s capable of making some really nice downfield passes from a moving pocket. Chambliss has learned to deal with pressure very well — in 2025, he completed 44 of 81 passes when disrupted for 649 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 84.9. Chambliss’ yards per attempt average of 8.0 under pressure also tells you that he doesn’t automatically become Captain Checkdown when pressured. The aforementioned pocket movement helps him a lot in an NFL-conversant sen
[... truncated ...]
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell stated that competition at the quarterback position is the best way to establish the standard they need, with Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy vying for the starting job. Carson Wentz is also in the quarterback room
When it comes to the 2027 quarterback class, hope springs eternal. Especially after a 2026 class that produced two first-rounders in Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson , and a 2025 class that produced two in Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart , the NFL prayer is that the 2027 group of signal-callers is more like the 2024 version, when there were three taken with the first three picks, six in the top 12, and four legit NFL starters in Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels , Drake Maye , and Bo Nix . Even the relative stragglers (Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy) haven’t run entirely out of road when it comes to their NFL potential. Ostensibly, the 2027 class looks absolutely ridiculous from a tools and potential perspective. We could have Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon ’s Dante Moore , Ohio State’s Julian Sayin , Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss , South Carolina ’s LaNorris Sellers , Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker , Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr, and Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby ( depending on how Sorsby is affected by recent gambling allegations ) all fighting to rest atop next year’s QB draft listings, and there are ways in which each one could do it. Not to mention the fact that there will be a surprise interloper who comes out of nowhere to show NFL potential. That’s at least eight quarterbacks for NFL teams to consider next year. Of course, we also know that not every sure-thing prospect will ultimately become that even before he’s drafted; we’ve all seen the super-hyped guys fall down when they get hit without a plan. The idea with this series is to evaluate each of the prominent future prospects with one eye on what they’ve already done, and the other on what they need to do in order to reach their ultimate ceiling. Let’s start with Arch Manning, the Promised Son who showed all kinds of improvement in his first season as an NCAA starter. Manning had just 103 dropbacks in his first two seasons with the Longhorns, and things were rough to begin the 2025 season as a result. From Weeks 1-7, he completed 102 of 163 passes (62.6%) for 1,317 yards (8.1 YPA), 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.7. There was talk early in the season as to whether head coach Steve Sarkisian should bench Manning for his own good, but Sark wasn’t biting. “I don’t know if any college player has kind of gone through what he went through before he even was the full-time starter,” Sarkisian said. “Part of that is his last name, part of it is our brand. I think those two things coming together made this such a big storyline before the season, and but none of it was anything due to what Arch was doing. He just kind of kept focusing on what he needed and tried to do.” Well, eventually it kicked in. From Week 8 through Texas’ win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, Manning completed 146 of 245 passes (59.6%) for 1,846 yards (7.5 YPA), 14 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.8. This was against Kentucky , Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas , Texas A&M, and Michigan — there were no San Jose State , UTEP , or Sam Houston State breaks in the action as there were in the first half of the season. By the end of his first full campaign as a starter, Manning looked like what that’s supposed to look like for the most part, and there was no more talk regarding whether he should be benched or not, as there was after the Kentucky game in Week 8, when he completed 12 of 27 passes for 132 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 59.5. From then on, the improvements began. So, what is Arch Manning’s skill set now, and where does he need to take steps forward in 2026? Even in his more regrettable moments early in the 2025 season, Manning’s movement within the pocket — his ability to move and re-set to throw in the small boxing ring of the pocket — was an alpha skill. He’s going to get all kinds of Joe Burrow comparisons because of it, and those comps will not be wrong if the ascent continues. Burrow is the NFL’s bes
[... truncated ...]
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison had a season to forget in 2025. After missing the first three games of the year due to a suspension, the 24-year-old finished the season with 42 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns on 79 targets. Addison was a victim of the Vikings' brutal quarterback play in 2025, as the team received below-average production from signal-callers J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Minnesota brought in veteran quarterback Kyler Murray over the offseason, who should at least provide the team's passing game with more stability in 2026. The Vikings also signed wide receiver Jauan Jennings in free agency, so Addison has some significant target competition between Jennings and superstar wideout Justin Jefferson. Still, Addison finished the 2024 season as the WR24 by measure of per-game PPR scoring. With his current ADP of WR42 in redraft leagues, Addison carries sleeper value into 2026
As Minnesota Vikings training camp approaches, Tyler Forness and Dave Stefano of The Real Forno Show break down every position on the roster — from the high-stakes quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy to a revamped run game, a new “bully ball” wide receiver, and a defensive line full of unknowns. If you want to know where this Vikings team truly stands heading into camp, this episode delivers the sharpest analysis in the Vikings podcast space. The biggest storyline this offseason remains the quarterback room. Tyler laid out a clear framework: “ Carson Wentz won’t get elevated to being the starter… Carson will stay QB2.” The thinking is that keeping both Murray and McCarthy on the roster removes the pressure from whoever wins — a dynamic Tyler credits as a key reason Sam Darnold thrived in 2024. On the run game, Jordan Mason emerges as a sleeper: “ Jonathan Taylor had more carries at Wisconsin than Jordan Mason has had in four years of college and four years in the pros. Let that sink in for a second.” With fresh legs and a Frank Smith wide-zone scheme, Mason could be a breakout candidate. At receiver, Jauan Jennings changes everything: “Jennings is a bully. He’s gonna play like Dennis Rodman. That’s a different element for this offense.” QB Competition: Tyler believes one of Murray or McCarthy will be cut or traded — “if Kyler does not get the starting job, I think he’ll request a trade.” Kevin O’Connell’s QB Development: “He’s a veteran quarterback whisperer… but as far as developing a quarterback, he’s not shown he can do that yet.” Jordan Mason sleeper alert: Low tread on the tires at age 27, fits the new wide-zone scheme perfectly. Jauan Jennings changes the red zone: “Having the curveball of a physical presence like Jennings completely changes the dynamic of your play calling.” Edge rusher depth is a concern: “I hope they sign Jadeveon Clowney … eight and a half sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 40 pressures” on minimal snaps. Jake Golday’s role: “Van Ginkel is an edge rusher who does off-ball stuff. Golday is an off-ball guy who does edge rusher stuff.” Defensive line youth: Caleb Banks and Dominic Orange project as future starters — “I don’t expect it [day one], but they’re good players, drafted for a reason.” Harrison Smith : “He’s gone until he’s back, and right now I don’t see him coming back.” View Link Or on your favorite podcast aggregator. This episode of The Real Forno Show is exactly why Vikings fans tune in every week — unfiltered, film-room-level analysis from Tyler Forness, one of the sharpest voices covering Minnesota football. Whether you’re a die-hard or a casual fan trying to get ready for training camp, this breakdown of every position group is required listening before the pads go on. Tyler Forness @TheRealForno of Vikings 1st & SKOL @Vikings1stSKOL and A to Z Sports @AtoZSportsNFL , with Dave Stefano @Luft_Krigare producing this Vikings 1st & SKOL production, the @RealFornoShow . Podcasts partnered with Fans First Sports Network @FansFirstSN . What position battle are you most excited to watch in Vikings training camp — the QB competition or the edge rusher depth race?
Two first-round picks from 2024 NFL Draft were unexpected additions to the normally calm June news cycle. To open the month, the Rams sent edge rusher Jared Verse -- the No. 19 overall pick -- to the Browns as part of the massive haul that brought Myles Garrett to Los Angeles. "It was upsetting at first, but you got two choices," Verse said at his introductory press conference . "You can either work or you can give up, and I ain't never been a quitter." Then, as June neared its close, cornerback Terrion Arnold -- selected 24th overall by the Lions -- was arrested on several felony charges . Detroit released Arnold last week shortly after he had his bond set at $1 million. They are obviously two very different situations. Verse is still expected to be a defensive cornerstone for an NFL franchise, albeit not the one he was drafted by. Arnold is facing life in prison and may never play football again. Today, we're revisiting the 2024 draft, which was a historic one for the game's most important position: Six quarterbacks went in the top 12 picks, the most ever. That includes signal callers at No. 1 ( Caleb Williams ), No. 2 ( Jayden Daniels ), No. 3 ( Drake Maye ) and No. 12 ( Bo Nix ) who have led their respective teams to the playoffs. It also includes the No. 8 pick, Michael Penix Jr. , and the No. 10 pick, J.J. McCarthy , who have struggled. Such is life in such an unpredictable profession. Today, we're redrafting the 2024 draft, using the following guidelines. This is a brutally close call between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, both of whom took massive leaps in 2025. Maye, though, was truly special, leading the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt en route to an MVP runner-up finish. There are still questions, as his up-and-down playoff showing revealed, but the physical tools combined with the accuracy and playmaking is a tremendous combination. The Commanders would gladly "settle" for Williams here. He took his game to another level last year by cutting way down on negative plays -- especially sacks -- and improving massively as a pocket navigator and scrambler. This is his biggest advantage over Maye, who still must improve his pressure mitigation. Williams has always taken excellent care of the ball as a passer, even during his difficult rookie year, and his out-of-structure creation is jaw-dropping. If this article had come at this time out last year, Daniels would likely be No. 1. Instead, he falls all the way to No. 3! (Please note extreme sarcasm here; all three of these guys are great.) Daniels' electrifying rookie season can't be forgotten, but his second-year struggles -- with injuries, a fall off in accuracy and less-than-ideal surroundings -- can't be completely overlooked, either. The Cardinals' depth chart entering the 2024 NFL Draft featured Michael Wilson coming off a decent but unspectacular rookie season and veterans Greg Dortch and Chris Moore as its top three receivers. Basically, it's easy to see why Arizona went with Harrison, who had starred at Ohio State and was expected to be a star in the NFL right away. But it's not like the Cardinals were loaded at edge rusher, either, and Verse has proved to be the best at that position -- and arguably at any non-quarterback position -- in the class. Since entering the league, Verse has the NFL's second-most quarterback hurries, third-most pressures and sixth-highest pressure rate. He's a star. Nothing changes here for the Chargers . They desperately needed a tackle to bookend Rashawn Slater , and Alt, when healthy, has been just that. We saw first-hand last year what happened when Slater and Alt went down: It was an unmitigated disaster in front of Justin Herbert . The need was there, and the talent was there, plain and simple. Bowers' rookie year -- 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns -- was the best we've seen from a rookie tight end. He moves like a wide receiver. And even in an injury-derailed second year, he remind
[... truncated ...]
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson didn't slide far enough in the first round to make that into a legitimate source of motivation. If he's looking for it elsewhere, he's in luck. Former two-time NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan recently directed sharp criticism at the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. “I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on the Team 980 in D.C., via Valentina Martinez of the New York Post . “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like J.J. McCarthy . He’s like Mac Jones . He’s a career backup .” (It's been a week of catching strays for McCarthy. First, Dianna Russini says he " sucks " in the footage from her January traffic stop. Now this.) “Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.” McCloughan knows a thing or two about scouting; he served as G.M. of the 49ers from 2008 to 2009, a personnel executive in Seattle from 2010 to 2013 (when they built a Super Bowl champion), and Washington G.M. from 2015 to 2016. Then again, Sean McVay knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. And this is the first potential starter the Rams have drafted since McVay arrived in 2017. (He inherited Jared Goff , and in 2021 the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.) Time will tell what Simpson will become. With Stafford talking about playing into his 40s , it could be a while before McCloughan is proven right, or wrong
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson didn’t slide far enough in the first round to make that into a legitimate source of motivation. If he’s looking for it elsewhere, he’s in luck. Former two-time NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan recently directed sharp criticism at the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. “I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on the Team 980 in D.C., via Valentina Martinez of the New York Post . “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like J.J. McCarthy. He’s like Mac Jones. He’s a career backup .” (It’s been a week of catching strays for McCarthy. First, Dianna Russini says he “ sucks ” in the footage from her January traffic stop. Now this.) “Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.” McCloughan knows a thing or two about scouting; he served as G.M. of the 49ers from 2008 to 2009, a personnel executive in Seattle from 2010 to 2013 (when they built a Super Bowl champion), and Washington G.M. from 2015 to 2016. Then again, Sean McVay knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. And this is the first potential starter the Rams have drafted since McVay arrived in 2017. (He inherited Jared Goff, and in 2021 the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.) Time will tell what Simpson will become. With Stafford talking about playing into his 40s , it could be a while before McCloughan is proven right, or wrong
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
