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J.J. McCarthy could have landed in different places at the NFL Draft, but he ended up with the Minnesota Vikings. The Denver Broncos and several other teams also showed interest and there was talk of a major trade-up to land him. That didn't transpire, but there was very little certainty about where the Michigan QB would go on draft night.
Pau Allen asked McCarthy if he ever thought he might land in Denver after all:
“Yes. I did think that. That was kinda my two spots that I really felt like I was gonna go after seeing the first six picks. And they’re both great spots but I’m extremely excited to stay in the Midwest and play for Coach O’Connell and it couldn’t have turned out any more perfect," he revealed.
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This comes after Broncos head coach claims he made teams think they were trying to move up. There is some chess in the NFL Draft, and Payton claims he was actively talking to teams as if he'd trade up, but he wasn't going to and didn't.
That might have forced Minnesota's hand. They did trade up from 10 to 11 to make sure they got McCarthy, and it's unclear if that was influenced by the fear that Denver might jump them.
As it happened, Denver remained at 12 overall and selected Bo Nix to be their quarterback, so both teams got the position they needed. It was not, however, without drama.
J.J. McCarthy among six first-round QB
J.J. McCarthy was always considered a first-round prospect, but he was not considered part of an incredible run on QBs. In the first round, every team that conceivably wanted a quarterback took one, something that hasn't happened very often.
It began with Caleb Williams, who was followed by Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. That was how many analysts expected it to go, but then things got interesting with the next few picks.
At eight overall, the Atlanta Falcons arguably started the run by drafting Michael Penix Jr. (even though they signed Kirk Cousins for big money). The Vikings followed with McCarthy at 10 and Denver landed Bo Nix to end the run at 12.
