Sam Darnold Beats Out J.J. McCarthy to Open Training Camp As QB1

While the Vikings picked J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft earlier this spring, Sam Darnold will lead the team to start training camp next month.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell went out of his way today to ensure there is no quarterback controversy heading into training camp with an unprovoked announcement that Sam Darnold would be the starting quarterback in training camp.

"We haven't had to put out a depth chart or anything like that," O'Connell said, "but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he's had, and really where he's at in his career and his quarterback journey, and what he's been able to do coming in and [hitting] the ground running and taking advantage of a competitive situation." via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

"I have total understanding that we only control so much in this whole thing, and that's what I've challenged the quarterbacks to do -- control what you can, which is your preparation," O'Connell said. "How detailed can you be? Can you stack good periods of practice together? Good days together? And before you know it, you're looking up and it's not about the camp you've had, but it's about your readiness to help the Minnesota Vikings win."

"I grew up watching Sam Darnold my entire life," McCarthy said. "Being able to just sit there and watch him, watch Nick, watch Jaren ... it's not what they say to me, it's what they do. And just being a sponge and observing them and, eventually, hopefully, one day surpassing them. But right now, they're just phenomenal human beings who are sharing their wisdom with me, and I just can't thank them enough and can't wait for training camp."

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
What would have been surprising if Darnold found a way to lose his starting gig before training camp started? Clearly, McCarthy has some work to do, and the plan has always been to bring him along slowly. There is certainly a lot of football to be played before the start of the season, so today's announcement was designed to take some pressure off McCarthy while giving Darnold a real shot at being the Vikings QB1, week 1 of the upcoming NFL season.