Report: Patriots' Eliot Wolf 'pushing hard' for quarterback prospect

Sportskeeda consulting editor and NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline is reporting that the New England Patriots are among the teams responsible for Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy becoming a highly-rated prospect ahead of the draft's opening night on April 25. 

"I'm not big on McCarthy being a top-10 selection, but the UM signal-caller to New England was the buzz on the pro-day circuit," Pauline said about the Patriots taking McCarthy with the third overall pick in a mock draft he updated on Tuesday morning. "De facto general manager Eliot Wolf is pushing hard for McCarthy, and he believes he has as much upside as any quarterback in this draft." 

The rise of McCarthy's draft stock has become one of the most discussed stories of the NFL offseason. As recently as March 29, at least one analyst revealed that McCarthy could be drafted ahead of North Carolina Tar Heels signal-caller Drake Maye. Some have forecasted that McCarthy could be the second quarterback taken after Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans. 

Assuming Williams goes to the Chicago Bears first overall, as most expect, the Washington Commanders could grab either McCarthy, Maye or LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the draft's second choice. Some have predicted that the Patriots could trade the third selection to acquire assets needed for their ongoing rebuild, but beat writer Chris Mason of MassLive has routinely insisted that New England wants "to take a quarterback at No. 3." 

In their latest mock drafts, both Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports predicted that the Patriots will take Maye and not McCarthy at No. 3. Wilson is among those who think the Minnesota Vikings will move up from No. 11 to the fifth pick to acquire McCarthy. Trapasso, meanwhile, believes the Denver Broncos will complete a trade to make McCarthy the draft's fourth pick. 

New England moved on from 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones and replaced him with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett this offseason. It's thought Brissett could start ahead of a rookie such as McCarthy, but logic suggests new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo would give any first-year pro taken with the third pick an opportunity to compete for the QB1 gig this summer.