Vikings trade up twice in NFL draft. They take Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, Alabama edge Dallas Turner

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings traded up twice in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, jumping one spot to No. 10 for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to ensure they didn't miss out on their most dire need and making a six-spot leap to No. 17 for Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.

“I always talk about minimizing regret,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “Obviously I’m a spreadsheet-calculator guy myself, but sometimes you've got to step out from there, take your Clark Kent glasses off and just have a championship mindset and swing for a great player.”

The departure of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency to Atlanta left a void — and an opportunity that Vikings leadership has been strategizing about for two-plus years.

“Every quarterback in the class that I interacted with wanted to go to Minnesota,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter on a defense-driven and run-first team that raised questions about the 6-foot-2, 219-pound passer’s potential. He set the program record with a 72.3% completion percentage.

Adofo-Mensah acknowledged that more projection was required with McCarthy than the others in this class. In a recent video conference call, Adofo-Mensah said, McCarthy asked him directly if there were any reason the Vikings wouldn't draft him. Adofo-Mensah had nothing.

After Caleb Williams (Southern California) went to Chicago, Jayden Daniels (LSU) went to Washington and Drake Maye (North Carolina) followed to New England with the first three selections, the Falcons surprised the league by picking Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) with the eighth overall pick despite the presence of Cousins on a $180 million contract.

That put the Vikings in danger of having a quarterback-seeking team like Denver or Las Vegas leapfrogging them, so they made the swap with the New York Jets to ensure they'd get McCarthy. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said he felt “a range of emotions” as the draft unfolded.

“We knew we weren’t the only ones that had identified him as a quarterback we wanted to select,” O'Connell said. “You start thinking about the what-if.”

The Vikings sent fourth- and fifth-round selections (No. 129 and 157) to the Jets for a sixth-rounder (No. 203) to complete the deal.

“That’s where he wanted to go. That’s where he had his heart set. I’m just so happy for him,” said Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who led McCarthy and the Wolverines to the national championship last season. “I love him like a son. I was praying and pulling for it to work out the way he wanted it to work out, and the stars aligned.”

The Vikings had been aiming for this day since Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell came on board two years ago, with a deep rookie class at the position and the team at a crossroads following an NFC North title with a 13-4 record in their 2022 debut and a 7-10 finish in 2023.

The highest the Vikings had drafted a quarterback previously was Daunte Culpepper at No. 11 in 1999. They’ve used a first-round pick on a quarterback only four other times in the franchise’s 63-year history, with Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32) in 2014, Christian Ponder (No. 12) in 2011 and Tommy Kramer (No. 27) in 1977 the others.

With O'Connell, a former NFL quarterback who directed two of the best seasons that Cousins has had in 12 years in the league, calling the plays on the sideline and superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson headlining a talented offense around him, the Vikings have a favorable environment for the 21-year-old McCarthy. They signed Sam Darnold, the 2018 third overall pick by the Jets, to bridge the gap and reduce the pressure on the rookie to develop quickly.

McCarthy was widely seen as the most pro-ready of all the prospects, thanks to his combination of leadership, intelligence and toughness. Still, there's no guarantee the Vikings got the right guy, given the track record across the NFL of success by first-round quarterbacks is essentially a coin-flip proposition.

The Vikings added the 23rd pick in a recent trade with Houston for their second-round picks this year and next year. They don’t own any second-day selections, minimizing their opportunity to add starting-caliber players and increasing the pressure to hit a home run in the first round. With offense accounting for the first 14 picks, the Vikings were in position to add a premier player on defense.

Once defenders started to fall off the board, the Vikings struck a deal with Jacksonville by sending their fifth-rounder (No. 167) and third- and fourth-round picks in 2025 to move up from No. 23. Turner was a first-team Associated Press All-American who tied for eighth in the FBS with 10 sacks last season.

After letting Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport depart in free agency, the Vikings signed Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel before adding Turner in this rapid restock.

Turner was the second edge rusher taken. The Jaguars indicated they had an offer from another team for No. 17, forcing the Vikings to increase their offer. But they viewed Turner as one of the few outliers on defense in this draft. He was widely seen as one of the steals of the first round.

Turner said he was surprised to last that long, but only to a point in a first round with 23 offensive players taken.

“The game is changing,” he said. “Teams need what they need, so you’ve got to expect it.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner (15) celebrates a sack against Mississippi during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Turner is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft.(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)

Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner reacts as he puts on a hat after being chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the 17th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

FILE - Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 1, 2024. McCarthy is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft.(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9), head coach Jim Harbaugh and running back Blake Corum (2) celebrate on the podium after a win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in Pasadena, Calif. J.J. McCarthy is expected to be the first of many drafted from Michigan’s national championship-winning team. The Wolverines had a record 18 players at the combine. If Jim Harbaugh’s last team has 16 or more players drafted, they will surpass another former champion, Georgia’s 2022 team, that had 15 players selected. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rolls out during the second half of the Rose Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game against Alabama Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in Pasadena, Calif. McCarthy is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft.(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)

FILE - Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy sits on the field with his back against a padded goalpost on Nov. 4, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Mich. McCarthy meditates roughly two hours before games. McCarthy is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft.(AP Photo/Larry Lage, File)

Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner poses being chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the 17th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

NEW YORK (AP) — Back when the New York Knicks would annually march on in the playoffs, they'd almost always run into the Indiana Pacers.

With the teams set to renew their playoff rivalry Monday in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it's easy to think back to those rough and rugged tussles in the 1990s. But while the matchup may be old school, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are bracing for an opponent who plays a new-age style.

Tyrese Haliburton runs the NBA's highest-scoring offense, with Indiana putting numbers on the scoreboard that make the ones in the past Knicks-Pacers contests look like a different sport, not just a different century.

“I guess whenever you have the original teams from back then, there’s always going to be some type of history," Brunson said. "But you have two good teams who play very, I don’t want to say different, but like, they play their own style of basketball. And so it’s going to be a grind of who’s going to go out there, who’s going to want it more who’s going to try to go get it.”

Brunson led the No. 2-seeded Knicks past Philadelphia in the first round, sending the Knicks into the East semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since making nine straight trips between 1992 and 2000.

He scored 40 or more points in the final three games, just the seventh player in NBA history with three straight 40-point games in the playoffs. The league's No. 4 scorer in the regular season tops all players in the postseason with 35.5 per game.

Indiana's big numbers come as a team. The Pacers led the league with 123.3 points per game, sixth highest in league history, and also were tops in field goal percentage and assists. They reached 140 points 11 times, an NBA record.

The sixth-seeded Pacers haven't slowed down too much in the playoffs. They averaged 113 while knocking off No. 3 Milwaukee and reached at least 120 in all four victories during the six-game series.

The Knicks and Pacers met three straight times from 1993-95 — exchanging Game 7 victories in the latter two — then again from 1998-2000, with the last two of those in the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana won the most recent meeting, ousting the No. 2-seeded Knicks in the 2013 East semifinals.

Neither team ever reached 120 points in any of the 41 games.

“It’s just a very intense matchup, that’s really the simple truth about it,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "There’s a lot of stuff with Reggie Miller for five or six years and I know in 2013 there was another matchup. We’re going to have to be very resilient and we’re going to have to be very together.”

Indiana went 2-1 against New York and was right at its season average with 123.3 points per game, including 140 in a Dec. 30 victory when the Knicks were short-handed after a trade. Brunson averaged 35.7 points.

The point guards were U.S. teammates last summer playing in the Basketball World Cup, then went on to have their best NBA seasons. Both were All-Stars, with Haliburton the Eastern Conference starter in his home arena en route to leading the league with 10.9 assists per game.

Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were starters in Toronto to begin the season before the forwards were traded, with Anunoby going to the Knicks in December and Siakam to Indiana in January. The Knicks are 24-5 with Anunoby in the lineup and may need him now to defend his former teammate, who opened the playoffs with consecutive games of at least 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Brunson began his career in Dallas playing for Carlisle, who praised his former player's character and said they had a great three years together. Brunson was asked if he had extra motivation after an ESPN podcast referenced his frustration in getting only 10 minutes of playing time in a Game 7 loss to the Clippers in 2021.

"In all honesty, I said this last time, you’re in the playoffs now, there is no extra motivation," Brunson said. “It is what it is, the past is the past. Rick, he welcomed me into this league and he helped me become the player and he helped me grow from day one. So a coach has got to make decisions that suit their team. So whatever happened, happened and we’re moving forward from there.”

Obi Toppin was the Knicks' first-round pick in 2020 and became a fan favorite, though rarely got extended playing time behind All-Star Julius Randle. He scored a career playoff-high 21 points off the bench in the clinching victory over Milwaukee and now heads back to his original NBA home.

“They’re one of the most physical teams in the league," Toppin said. "They’ve had that identity for many years and we’ve got to come in there and match that physicality and play our style of basketball, and I think we’ll be good at that.”

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after winning Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Knicks' Josh Hart (3) and teammate Isaiah Hartenstein (55) celebrate after winning Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after winning Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)