Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to see the most hype among NFL Draft prospects leading up to the annual event next month.
Fresh off leading Michigan to the National Championship, McCarthy is actually now getting play as a potential top-five pick.
It’s crazy to look at. The former part-time starter in Ann Arbor entered this past season as a likely mid-round pick. What he did in leading Michigan to the title coupled with what has been a great pre-draft process now has him mentioned among the top quarterbacks in a loaded class at this position.
Is it a smokescreen? Will we see McCarthy fall back some in the first round when it kicks off in Detroit? Don’t be too sure.
NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday. What he had to relay was pretty darn interesting.
“I’m talking to people who are in the quarterback market and not in the quarterback market, and J.J. McCarthy is really highly thought of, so I don’t think that’s a smokescreen situation,” Jeremiah said. “I think that’s legitimate, and there’s too many teams, there’s too much command.”
At this point, it almost has to be a foregone conclusion that McCarthy will be one of the top-five players off the board once the draft comes calling.
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Likely J.J. McCarthy landing spots in 2024 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears are going with USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick. It’s also looking more and more like reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels will be the Washington Commanders’ pick at two following his impressive showing at the LSU Pro Day.
This leaves the New England Patriots a decision at three should they stand pat. For most of the pre-draft process, North Carolina’s Drake Maye has been considered one of the top-three quarterbacks in the class. Could New England make the surprise move and go McCarthy instead? It’s a real possibility.
- J.J. McCarthy stats (2023): 72.3% completion, 2,991 yards, 25 total TD, 4 INT
The primary intrigue here is at No. 4 overall with the Arizona Cardinals. They are taking offers for that selection from quarterback-needy teams. With Kyler Murray in place as Arizona’s starter, this makes sense.
The New York Giants at six have been bandied about as a potential McCarthy landing spot. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings now boast two first-round picks (11th, 23rd overall) after a trade with the Houston Texans. They will likely move further up into the top 10 and have been linked to McCarthy, too.
The Denver Broncos (12th), Las Vegas Raiders (13th) and New Orleans Saints (14th) could also look to trade up for a quarterback.
There is certainly a lot to look at here with about a month to go before the 2024 NFL Draft.