On Thursday evening, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was giving a talk called “Faith & Leadership: Coaching in the NFL” at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minn.
Toward the end of the session, he was taking questions from the audience when an attendee asked him about quarterback prospects Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy.
Kevin O’Connell Answers Draft Question at Church Event
O’Connell gave a great answer to a question he was asked about the team’s quarterback situation ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“When you’re comparing Drake Maye to J.J., and when you can see J.J. operating in the Harbaugh system and he’s got really good feet,” the audience member said, “but then Drake Maye, the arm talent and the throws and the anticipating windows, how do you sort of compare that and be like, ‘You know what? Even though his feet aren’t exactly how we need them, he could be, say, like a Josh Allen or something?’”
Kevin O’Connell gave a speech last night at St. Philip the Deacon Church in Plymouth and got a full breakdown of McCarthy and Maye by a Vikings fan at the end lol. He gave a very interesting answer, noting that he killed some previous QB ideas in the past because he wasn’t sold.… pic.twitter.com/cb2SR6lOJo
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) April 19, 2024
Amid some laughter from the audience, O’Connell began to answer the question.
“For a couple years, I’ve been kind of known as the quarterback killer when it comes to the draft in Eagan,” O’Connell said. “Because the feeling that I feel from our fanbase is when we get this next guy, he’s gonna be ‘the guy.’ And I feel it. I know you guys all feel it.
“So I have had to, in a lot of ways, fight off some mistakes from being made. Mainly because the evaluation process I go through, I think about the things that are fixable, I think about the things that are coachable. And then you think about the things that, you know, you could coach another 15 years with a player and you might not be able to fix.”
By calling himself a “quarterback killer,” O’Connell appeared to be saying that he’s had to shut down ideas of drafting quarterbacks in the past because he didn’t view them as the right player.
“Hope and faith are wonderful things. I do like them to not necessarily be strategies,” O’Connell said. “I do very much believe in certain principles of playing the quarterback position. I believe the lower half of any quarterback can be fixed with the proper coaching and teaching.
“I think when you see the good things on tape, you see things that they can do better on tape, you’re looking for a lot of different things and to check a lot of boxes. And ultimately, when you feel like you find that guy, then you’ve gotta hope that 31 other teams are complicit in making sure that they can become a Minnesota Viking.
“But we only need one team to be complicit. And hopefully we find that team.”
The young man who initially asked the question to O’Connell mentioned his connection to the New England Patriots and that they could be the team at No. 3 overall.
“I may or may not have sent a nice bouquet of flowers to (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft the other day,” O’Connell said.
When O’Connell does find the quarterback he wants, and there’s surely at least one or two in this draft, he will be willing to be aggressive in going to get that player.
In saying that the Vikings just need one team to be complicit, he’s referencing the possibility of trading up in the draft next week. Maybe that could even be with the Patriots for the third overall pick, as was mentioned.
KEEP READING: Top QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s all-new Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls — lone wolf or with your friends!
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
