Kevin O'Connell

Kevin O'Connell on J.J. McCarthy:

"He's absolutely had a phenomenal offseason, from the time before the offseason program started through the nine weeks that we were allowed to be on the grass, and then I think it's been awesome this summer seeing these guys getting together, working. You feel the energy and the enthusiasm not only that J.J. has brought to the group, but that they're reciprocating right back to him."

It's not the first positive report we've seen about McCarthy so far. Our John Paulsen summed up McCarthy's fantasy stock: Last year, three quarterbacks drafted QB20 or later finished in the top 12: Baker Mayfield (QB21), Sam Darnold (QB31), and Bo Nix (QB23). They had a couple of things in common: 1) a strong offensive mind calling the plays, and 2) they can score fantasy points with their legs. Darnold (QB27) can run, but Klint Kubiak is not a certified offensive genius like, say, O’Connell, who coaxed a QB8 finish out of Darnold last season. That’s why I like QB19 McCarthy to meet or exceed his draft position. It’s pretty simple: In O’Connell we trust. McCarthy will run a bit and has a nice group of weapons, including Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones.