University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy couldn’t have asked for a better ending to his college career.
The 20-year-old signal caller led the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997, bookending a 27-1 run as the team’s starter in which he threw for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading Michigan to three straight Big Ten championships and consecutive College Football Playoff berths before declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.
draft pundits appear to be divided on where exactly McCarthy ranks among the top prospects in the 2024 class — ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed him as his biggest wild-card QB in the draft — but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently disclosed where McCarthy is expected to go based on what he’s heard in league circles.
“McCarthy has projectable physical tools with an NFL arm and above-average mobility,” Brugler wrote. “Scouts consistently bring up his intangibles as a strong selling point for their coaches because of his retention, recall and competitive toughness. … Based on feedback from the NFL, McCarthy is expected to be drafted in the top 50 picks, the question is how early? Is there a team in the top 25 enamored with his long-term outlook?
The toughest part about projecting McCarthy to the NFL is evaluating how his skillset translates from the college game. Because Michigan blew so many teams out, McCarthy rarely played deep into the fourth quarter this season.
The biggest concern among scouts is whether or not McCarthy can carry a team on his shoulders or if he’s just the byproduct of playing for Jim Harbaugh, a known quarterback guru.
USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are expected to be the top three QBs taken — likely with the top three picks — leaving McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix available for QB-needy teams like the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings drafting outside of the top 10.
