With the Minnesota Vikings’ trade of J.J. McCarthy on Monday morning for a 5th-round pick, it’s reasonable to call his original draft selection what it is: an abject failure.
Injuries, poor play, backward development, and a crowded quarterback room doomed McCarthy, making him the latest draft gaffe in Vikings history.
In fact, Minnesota has not successfully employed a quarterback that it organically drafted since Daunte Culpepper – – two decades ago.
The Vikings’ 20-Year QB Draft History Is Rough
1. J.J. McCarthy | 2024 (R1)
McCarthy is the freshest wound. The Vikings traded up for him at No. 10, making him the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history. One lost rookie season – – a torn meniscus – – preceded a 2025 campaign with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 10 starts. Two and a half years after draft night, he was sent to the Giants for a 2027 5th-round pick.
The upside never became dependable NFL quarterback play, and the organization moved on before Year 3 really began. For a Top 10 quarterback, the return was painfully brief.
He’s now in the “bust” category with Vikings like Lewis Cine and Dimitrius Underwood. Sad but true.
2. Jaren Hall | 2023 (R5)
Hall was a 5th-round swing, so nobody expected a franchise savior. He still received two rookie starts after injuries wrecked the depth chart in 2023. A concussion ended his first one early, while the Green Bay start went badly enough for a halftime benching. Hall finished his Vikings career with 168 passing yards and one interception.
By August 2024, the club waived him in favor of veteran depth. For a 5th-rounder, the miss was inexpensive. It was still another drafted quarterback who never developed into anything.
3. Kellen Mond | 2021 (R3)
Mond felt a bit more important than his draft slot. The Vikings used the 66th overall pick on a quarterback some believed could eventually become the next starter. Instead, he threw three regular season passes. He was waived before his second season began.
There was a chance – – albeit in a far-off galaxy – – that Mond could be the plan for life after Kirk Cousins. No cigar, as Mond never even reached the extended audition phase. A pick near the top of Round 3 should at least produce a useful backup or developmental option. The Vikings got neither, then moved on almost immediately.
Mike Zimmer, the head coach at the time, outwardly showed discontent with his young passer.
4. Nate Stanley | 2020 (R7)
Stanley was a 7th-round lottery ticket, meaning expectations were very tiny. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad and remained around the organization into 2022, but a regular season opportunity never arrived. Injuries complicated his path, and the Vikings eventually waived him in July 2022.
Nobody loses sleep over a pick at No. 244 failing to become a starter. Still, Stanley belongs in this history because the franchise used another draft choice on a quarterback and received no regular season production from the selection. Zilch.
5. Teddy Bridgewater | 2014 (R1)
Bridgewater deserves the biggest asterisk on this entire list.
The Vikings traded back into Round 1 for him, and he looked like a legitimate long-term starter before a catastrophic knee injury changed his career. Bridgewater went 17-11 across his first two seasons and helped produce an 11-5 record in 2015.
Calling him a scouting failure would be unjust. The pick appeared to work. Unfortunately, the franchise never received the decade-long quarterback answer it envisioned. This one failed far more because of awful injury luck.
6. Christian Ponder | 2011 (R1)
Ponder is an easy one. The Vikings surprised plenty of observers by selecting him 12th overall, then spent several seasons trying to make the decision work. His best year came in 2012, when he threw 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and the team reached the playoffs.
The big resume, though, never justified the draft slot. Ponder finished his Vikings tenure with 38 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions, along with a 75.9 passer rating. For a Top 12 quarterback, the return was nowhere near good enough.
A new debate is fair: Who failed harder in Minnesota? Ponder or McCarthy?
7. Joe Webb | 2010 (R6)
A 6th-round pick, this speedster arrived as a developmental quarterback with obvious mobility and eventually became useful in multiple roles. His finest moment came in Philadelphia, where he helped engineer a memorable road upset in his first NFL start.
But Webb never developed into a weekly starting quarterback, and his future eventually shifted away from the position. He was a hybrid QB-WR.
8. John David Booty | 2008 (R5)
Booty is one of the forgotten entries in this streak. The Vikings used the 137th overall pick on him after a productive USC career, but he never got a regular season snap. He spent his rookie year as the third quarterback, then lost his active roster spot the following summer. By October 2009, his Vikings tenure was effectively over.
9. Tyler Thigpen | 2007 (R7)
Thigpen barely had time to become a Viking. The club selected him 217th overall, then dropped him before his rookie season. Kansas City claimed him, and he eventually started 11 games for the Chiefs in 2008.
Therefore, this miss comes with a different flavor: the Vikings actually drafted a quarterback who later proved capable of surviving in the league, but they never received the benefit. Thigpen managed a lengthy career, just almost entirely somewhere else.
10. Tarvaris Jackson | 2006 (R2)
Jackson was the first major attempt of this 20-year stretch. The Vikings traded up to pick No. 64, hoping his arm and athleticism could grow into a long-term answer. He started 20 games in purple across five seasons but spent much of his tenure as a backup or part of a quarterback rotation.
Jackson later carved out a respectable 10-year NFL career and won a Super Bowl ring as Seattle’s backup. The Vikings found an NFL player, but they simply never found the franchise quarterback they wanted.
He tragically passed away in 2020.
───────────── ─────────────
VikesNow Verdict: Since Tarvaris Jackson arrived in 2006, the Vikings have drafted 10 quarterbacks without finding the durable long-term answer. Bridgewater remains the giant asterisk because his trajectory looked promising before injury changed everything.
───────────── ─────────────
About The Author
