Knee surgery for Vikings top pick, QB J.J. McCarthy

Knee soreness that kept quarterback J.J. McCarthy out of Minnesota Vikings practice on Monday has turned more concerning. The No. 10 overall pick from the national champion Michigan Wolverines will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus it was announced on Tuesday.

McCarthy was impressive in his preseason debut. In a 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, he was 11-of-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was something where he obviously finished the game [Saturday], threw a touchdown on his last pass, but out of precaution, you know, we’re going to continue evaluation on him and get some more testing done,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. “Very important player, obviously. So we want to make sure we’re smart about that before he participates [and make sure we] have a good understanding of where he’s at.”

The Vikings will start Sam Darnold while Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens are also in training camp.

How much time McCarthy will miss depends on how much work has to be done on his injured knee in the surgery.