Vikings evaluate quarterbacks McCarthy and Murray in day-seven drills

The Minnesota Vikings used day seven of training camp to compare rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy with veteran Kyler Murray. In a 7-on-7 drill, McCarthy completed three of six passes, while Murray also went 3-for-6, finishing with a deep touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings. Murray recorded 31 snaps overall (25 in 11-on-11, six in 7-on-7) and has taken 146 snaps in camp; McCarthy logged 32 snaps (26 in 11-on-11, six in 7-on-7) and has taken 136 snaps.

Murray’s unofficial passing numbers for the day were 14-for-21, including 11-for-15 in 11-on-11 drills, bringing his camp totals to 65-for-100. McCarthy posted 13-for-20 for the day, with 10-for-14 in 11-on-11, raising his camp totals to 58-for-89. Both quarterbacks took the majority of their snaps from the shotgun formation, with Murray using it on 18 of 25 team-drill snaps and McCarthy on 18 of 26.

Murray worked more with the first-team offense, logging 24 snaps (including 7-on-7) and facing the first-team defense on 23 snaps. McCarthy had 13 first-team offensive snaps and faced the first-team defense 14 times. Later in the session, Murray led a four-play drive that began with 1:10 remaining and the offense trailing by one point. He completed passes to the sideline for T.J. Hockenson and Justin Jefferson, scrambled for a first down, and then threw a deep pass that Jefferson caught for a touchdown despite double coverage. Earlier, Murray also connected with Tai Felton on a deep touchdown pass over the middle.

"Murray’s decision-making was impressive and his veteran savvy showed as he worked with the first-team offense against the top defense," a team spokesperson said.

The drills provided the coaching staff with additional data to assess the quarterbacks ahead of the season opener on Sept. 13 against Green Bay.