Sam Darnold is set to be the first quarterback up when the Vikings get to training camp this summer.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the quarterback pecking order at a Wednesday press conference from the team’s mandatory minicamp and he said there is not a hard and fast depth chart in place right now. O’Connell did say that he would put Darnold at the No. 1 spot ahead of first-round pick J.J. McCarthy at this point in the process.
“I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based on the spring he’s had and, really, where he’s at in his career and his quarterback journey,” O’Connell said.
The Vikings have not practiced in pads and they haven’t faced any defenses trying to knock them off their game, so there’s still a lot of steps to take before they travel to New Jersey to face the Giants on the first Sunday of the regular season. That leaves room for McCarthy to show that his mix of present ability and upside make him a better choice to lead the Vikings offense than the more experienced Darnold.
