Expert shares if J.J. McCarthy's hype is NFL Draft 'smokescreen'

NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network insisted during a Wednesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that the springtime hype regarding Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is very real. 

"I'm talking to people who are in the quarterback market and not in the quarterback market, and J.J. McCarthy is really highly thought of, so I don't think that's a smokescreen situation," Jeremiah explained, according to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report. "I think that's legitimate, and there's too many teams, there's too much demand."

ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Matt Miller offered similar takes last week before it was reported on Monday that some NFL executives think that new Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters will take McCarthy with the second pick of the player-selection process over both LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. 

SNY's Connor Hughes shared on Tuesday that "league sources told SNY they expect [McCarthy] to be a substantially better pro" than he was while starting under former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

"He played in a pro-style college offense, is the ultimate leader, beloved by teammates and receptive to all forms of coaching," Hughes said about McCarthy.

Per Nikki Chavanelle of On3, Jeremiah elaborated on the McCarthy love during a recent chat with Fox Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt. 

"People can’t wrap their mind around the fact that J.J. McCarthy could be going fourth or even in the top 10, and I’m telling them, 'Trust me, I talk to these teams all the time, I know what these coaches and general managers think of this guy,'" Jeremiah told Klatt. "The more you watch him, he’s an acquired taste, but you appreciate some of the things he does, especially when you get into [third and 7+ situations] when you watch that cut-up." 

Multiple mock drafts previously predicted that the Minnesota Vikings could move up from No. 11 to No. 4 to prevent the New York Giants from getting McCarthy at No. 6. For a piece published on Wednesday morning, Miller forecasted that the Denver Broncos will acquire the fourth choice to take McCarthy with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Daniels and Maye off the board. 

Meanwhile, well-respected ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky continues to say that Daniels and not Williams is the best overall quarterback in this draft class. 

In short, Peters and others within the Commanders have quite the decision ahead of them considering just about everybody expects the Chicago Bears will make Williams the draft's first selection.