The Minnesota Vikings have "a comprehensive player development plan in place" when it comes to first-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

McCarthy's season was over before it began thanks to a torn meniscus. Russini reported the team will make sure the No. 10 overall pick can develop as much as possible from the sideline.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell "is making it a priority to get at least an hour of one-on-one time with his QB of the future every week throughout the season," per Russini.

The Vikings will also reportedly utilize virtual reality as part of his weekly regimen.

In the wake of McCarthy's injury, O'Connell emphasized the status quo remains in place behind the scenes.

"The big thing for me is just making sure he knows that I am available to him throughout this time as if he was our starter, our No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback, whatever it would have ended up being, because the mindset towards the long-term growth and the goals that we have for him, those are all still in play," he said. "Nothing's changed from that standpoint other than — like we've had to talk about here — we don't get to see it in the immediate right now."

There's no substitute for meaningful snaps in an NFL game, and McCarthy won't even have practice reps to help sharpen his skills on the field. But there's no question the 21-year-old will soak up as much information as he can during individual and group meetings with coaches.

His level of preparation has always been meticulous.

McCarthy once said he knew as early as the fifth grade he wanted to become a football player and thus began working toward that aim. By the time he was in high school, he had a whiteboard in his bedroom that was both a source of personal motivation and a way to draw up plans to attack opposing defenses.

The meniscus injury may ultimately have little impact on McCarthy's career as a whole. Rookie quarterbacks sitting out some or all of their first years used to be the norm, and there are recent examples of successful signal-callers who had to wait a while before they became a full-time starter.

Minnesota is clearly doing everything it can to have McCarthy ready to hit the ground running in 2025.