The Minnesota Vikings knew they were getting a strong-armed quarterback when they drafted J.J. McCarthy last year, but the second-year signal-caller may be just a bit too strong so far. McCarthy, whose rookie season was lost to a knee injury,

McCarthy has impressed, Brian Flores' defense looks sharp and there are roster battles aplenty as the Vikings prepare to put pads on Monday.

The preseason used to be more predictable in terms of when starters would play given the four-game length. Now with three games teams treat the outline differently. NFL Draft Analyst Thor Nystrom has confirmed that the MN Vikings will use JJ McCarthy in game one of the exhibition schedule.