The most polarizing player in the entire 2024 NFL Draft is Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Fresh off winning the national championship with the Wolverines, McCarthy was originally projected as a mid-first round pick (at best) when he declared for the draft.
However, his stock has sky-rocketed in recent weeks as several teams are reported to have fallen in love with his skillset, high-IQ and leadership abilities.
It’s virtually a foregone conclusion that the Chicago Bears draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick.
There’s a decent chance that the following three picks will also be spent on quarterbacks.
But where does McCarthy factor in? … Some analysts have him going as high as second overall to the Washington Commanders. (Although, Washington is said to be strongly leaning towards taking LSU’s Jayden Daniels.)
Regardless, it’s very unlikely that McCarthy slips past #6.
The New England Patriots are said to be torn between McCarthy and Drake Maye. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals are sitting pretty at #4 knowing that multiple teams will be attempting to trade up with them for that pick.
With Kyler Murray already in place, the Cardinals have a ton of leverage in negotiations. They could easily take advantage of a quarterback-hungry team who’s desperate to move up.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shed light on the McCarthy buzz, stating, “Multiple teams believe Minnesota or Denver could be trade-up options for [J.J.] McCarthy, who’s considered a good fit in both places.”
The interest in McCarthy is palpable, with both the Vikings and the Broncos openly expressing their eagerness to draft him.
Denver head coach Sean Payton is said to be “quite enamored” with McCarthy – which makes perfect sense. We all know Payton loves unselfish, high-IQ quarterbacks who value winning more than anything … That’s precisely what McCarthy is.
If McCarthy is indeed the Broncos man, they would almost certainly have to trade up from their current spot at #12.
Same rings true for the Vikings who sit with the #11 pick. (But Minnesota is in even better position since they also own the #23 pick as well.)
The New York Giants are thought to be a “team in the weeds” for McCarthy.
They may be able to grab him with their current pick (#6) – but if he is truly their guy, they would most likely try to trade up to #4 to ensure they grab him.
Joel Klatt is just about as respected as they come, and he knows McCarthy as well as almost anyone due to his work as lead analyst for Big Ten-focused FOX Sports.
Klatt predicted McCarthy’s meteoric rise shortly after Michigan won the national championship and capped off a perfect 15-0 season.
“J.J. McCarthy is going to be a really good NFL quarterback, okay? Those of you that want to be a hater of JJ McCarthy, that’s fine,” he said. “I’m gonna be pretty surprised if he’s not drafted in the first 15 picks. I might be surprised if he’s not taken in the top 10. That’s the type of momentum that he’s generating.”
“He plays a selfless brand of football, he’s incredibly incredibly athletic, the guy spins it, he makes plays, he’s a winner, and he doesn’t care who gets the credit. Every organization in the NFL is looking for players like that and in particular at that position.”
Turns out that Klatt may have even undersold McCarthy based on where he’s now projected to go … Top 15? Long gone … Top 10? Without a doubt.
What are your thoughts on McCarthy as a prospect?
Will he end up being the best quarterback in the entire draft? … Or do you think he’s being massively overrated?
Who will end up drafting him???
