A month before the 2024 NFL Draft, excitement surrounding Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is still building.
The 21-year-old signal caller, who was once thought to be a second-round pick at best, solidified his place in the first round by leading the Wolverines to a national championship earlier this year.
However, McCarthy’s reputation has only grown among talent analysts and draft forecasts since the NFL Scouting Combine. Some have him pegged as a probable top-10 pick for a team in dire need of a quarterback next month.
Among these teams looking for a long-term franchise quarterback is the Patriots.
Although it has been widely accepted for more than a month that LSU’s Jayden Daniels and UNC’s Drake Maye are a step above McCarthy and are likely to go in the top three, New England continues to possess the No. 3 pick.
However, some of those opinions appear to be changing—at least according to some NFL draft experts.
NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks has the Patriots sticking at No. 3 in his most recent mock draft, selecting McCarthy as their quarterback of the future over Maye, who ultimately drops all the way to the Vikings at No. 11.
“Taking McCarthy, the greatest quarterback in Michigan history, could be Eliot Wolf’s best option given Tom Brady’s success with the Patriots,” Brooks said. “McCarthy’s athleticism, intangibles, and winning heritage could fit Jerod Mayo’s profile for a QB1 despite his lack of passing experience.”
Although Brooks’ predictions may draw attention, McCarthy has received a lot of acclaim in recent weeks.
McCarthy was voted the best quarterback in program history by Jim Harbaugh, Brady’s former coach at Ann Arbor, despite the fact that Brady has by far the best NFL resume of any quarterback out of Michigan.
