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Vikings introduce J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner
Vikings introduce J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner [RAW]
The Minnesota Vikings introduced first-round draft picks J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner at a press conference on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wheeled and dealed in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, and came away with what he hopes is a future franchise quarterback and a top edge rusher.
The Minnesota Vikings moved up to the No. 10 pick, and with it, drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Later, they moved up from No. 23 to No. 17 and took Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. It’s Kevin O’Connell’s firm belief that in a normal draft not littered with offensive talent, Turner otherwise wouldn’t have been available in that spot.
The Vikings introduced both McCarthy and Turner at TCO Performance Center on Friday. It was a long day of waiting for McCarthy, who was one of several quarterbacks who he says wanted to come to Minnesota. He got his moment.
“It was definitely better than what I expected. I woke up that morning and felt like my stomach was in my throat. It’s once in a lifetime, when that phone call came it was something different,” McCarthy said. “Now it’s just let’s get to work.”
McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions to lead Michigan to the national title. He beat Alabama and Turner in the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year’s Day.
“Game wrecker. We knew No. 15 was somebody we were going to have to worry about,” McCarthy said.
They’re now teammates.
“I’m going to be honest, J.J. definitely hurt my feelings January 1. After the game I kind of unfollowed him on Instagram, I was a little salty,” Turner said. “We’re teammates now. That’s my ride or die now.”
McCarthy said several teammates have already reached out to him, including Justin Jefferson. The “J.J. to J.J.” puns are already flying.
“Surreal. He already let me know I go by Jets, so we don’t get any confusion there,” McCarthy said. “He told me confidence is key in this league.”
Turner comes to the Vikings after 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks for the Crimson Tide last year. He joins a defense that added Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Dinkel and Blake Cashman in free agency. What’s Turner looking forward to in playing for Brian Flores?
“The sacks that are produced by him and how he frees his pass rushers up to make a lot of plays,” Turner said.
His football career changed in ninth grade. Growing up in youth football, he was an offensive skill position player. His high school coach, Patrick Surtain, asked him to switch to defensive end for one play. It was a sack.
“That one rep changed my whole football career. Ever since then, my hand was in the dirt,” Turner said.”
We are less than two weeks away from the 2026 NBA Draft, and the Dallas Mavericks are aware of just how vital this draft is for the future of the franchise. They want to build the team around Cooper Flagg, who had a sensational rookie year, and this is their best chance to do so.
They sit with the 9th, 30th, and 48th overall picks, the last two coming in via the Anthony Davis trade they made in February. This gives them multiple swings to build around Flagg.
However, the Mavericks may not be set on picking 9th. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, “Sources say that the Mavericks, however, have told rival teams that they are very much open for trades in either direction with their No. 9 pick.”
With how deep and talented this draft class is, it shouldn’t be that surprising that they’d be willing to move in either direction. If the right player starts falling down the board, they can jump up a few spots to secure him. Or, if there are multiple good players on the board, and there will be, there will be the option to trade down and accumulate more picks while still getting a good player.
Draft Trade Options for the Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks will have plenty of options for trades in a few weeks, whether they move up or down, or they use their financial flexibility to take on bad contracts and add more picks. That might be the best option to explore, as they have a $20.8 million trade exception and a $6 million exception that expire in February.
They could use those exceptions to take on a larger, bloated salary and add a draft pick or two. They need as much future draft capital as they can possibly get, and if teams are willing to give up any picks in this loaded draft class, even better. A lot of teams are looking to duck under the tax aprons because the penalties are too harsh, so the Mavs can be a facilitator of some of that desperation around the NBA.
Teams like the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers are teams looking to shed future money, so they could be an option for that.
They could also look to trade back and take a player like Labaron Philon near the end of the lottery. The Thunder and Hornets have multiple first-round picks and could look to target a forward or center like Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg.
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A 31-year-old woman has been arrested in the Dallas food delivery turned ambush in March, where a man was shot moments after opening his door to an order he said he never placed, officials said.
Dallas police said a man was ambushed at his front door on March 1, around 4:15 p.m. in the 1800 block of Sedona Lane. According to the report, a delivery driver walked a bag of food to the front door while a suspect in dark clothing waited just out of sight near the garage. As soon as the door opened, the suspect rushed in and began shooting.
Dallas police said the suspect made the food order to lure the victim to answer the door and shot him. The victim, who has not been identified, was critically injured.
Officials said the suspect has been identified as Marquita Rice, 31. Rice and the victim are known to one another.
On May 26, U.S. Marshals and the Wake Forest Police Department found Rice in Wake Forest, North Carolina. She was arrested and is in custody at the Wake County jail pending extradition to Dallas County. She is charged with aggravated assault – family violence with a deadly weapon.
She is being held on a $1 million bond.
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