ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. suggested that the New York Giants would be willing to trade the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for injured Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was selected at No. 10 overall one year prior.
McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury during his lone preseason game, which coincided with veteran quarterback Sam Darnold having a career renaissance and Pro Bowl season, creating a potential offseason quarterback controversy for the playoff-bound Vikings. Kiper argued that McCarthy would have been the top quarterback prospect in this year's class had he stayed an extra year at Michigan, ahead of former Miami quarterback Cam Ward and former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, both of whom are reported to be potential top 3 prospects.
“J.J. McCarthy is a year younger than Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, he’s coming off the (knee) injury, but he’s a kid, if you look at his grade last year compared to the grades this year of the quarterbacks, he would be the No. 1 guy, he would be ahead of Drew Allar, he would be ahead of certainly Cam and Shedeur,” Kiper said during an appearance on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike Thursday (January 9).
Darnold, a former No. 3 overall pick, is coming off the best season of his career, despite a disappointing performance in the Vikings' final regular season game, a lost to the Detroit Lions that cost them the No. 1 seed and NFC North Division title. The former USC standout 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 361 of 545 passing, while leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record as a starter.