Could J.J. McCarthy end up being the best quarterback to come out of the 2024 NFL Draft class?
While USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are considered the top two quarterback prospects this year, it’s McCarthy—who played for the University of Michigan—that a former NFL executive thinks will be the cream of the crop.
“All the hype is about Caleb Williams. I’m telling you, J.J. McCarthy is going to be the best quarterback in this draft class,” the former exec told the NFL Analysis Network. “The kid has the 'it' factor.”
McCarthy played three seasons at Michigan and is coming off of a junior campaign in which he threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.3 percent of his passes.
Most importantly, McCarthy led the Wolverines to a national championship.
Not only are Williams and Maye widely viewed as the two best signal-callers coming out of college this spring, but McCarthy typically isn’t even viewed as a top three or four guy.
Both LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are generally ranked ahead of McCarthy on most draft boards, and Oregon’s Bo Nix gives McCarthy a run for his money on some lists, too.
There seems to be a chance that McCarthy falls to the second round, so whoever nabs him may be getting a steal.
McCarthy took over as Michigan’s full-time starter during his sophomore year in 2022, totaling 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns and five picks while completing 64.6 percent of his throws. He also rushed for 306 yards and five scores while averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
While McCarthy isn’t exactly Lamar Jackson, he is athletic enough where he can be dubbed somewhat of a dual threat, and teams will certainly be taking that into consideration at draft time.
We will see if McCarthy ends up being a riser or a faller in a couple of months.
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