Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy ranks among the most polarizing prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft and one reporter suggests that he should be as high as possible on that grading scale.
According to Ben Standig of The Athletic , “some high-ranking evaluators” are of the opinion that McCarthy could go much higher in the 2024 NFL Draft than many people think. Per the report, some evaluators think he could go in the top three or even as high as No. 2 overall come April.
“The 8-13 range (in the first round) seems high based on the public discourse with the reigning national championship quarterback,” Standig wrote. “Some team evaluators, including the one quoted above, go hard the other way. ‘J.J. is going to go higher than most people think. Right now, my guess is he’ll be in play at two or three.'”
McCarthy is coming off back-to-back seasons with just under 3,000 passing yards and 22 touchdowns through the air. His accuracy has improved dramatically year-over-year and he led the Wolverines to a national title in 2023.
However, he was seen as a fringe prospect before the 2023 college football season and many scouts appear reluctant to remove that label from him even after the season he just had.
But as we saw with Stetson Bennett, being a fringe prospect won’t preclude him from hearing his name called on Draft Day. In fact, every national championship-winning quarterback since 2016 has been drafted.
Will McCarthy rise all the way into the top three though?