One of the most intriguing quarterbacks heading into the 2024 NFL Draft is Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy. And ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. seems to think that McCarthy will be a first-round pick when all is said and done.
In the latest edition of his big board, Mel Kiper listed J.J. McCarthy as his No. 23 player in the draft, predicting that he will be selected in the middle of the first round in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft even though he did not throw a lot of passes during his time with the Michigan Wolverines.
“McCarthy has first-round arm talent and can beat defenses with his legs too. He ranked third in the country in Total QBR (89.2) and completion percentage (72.3%) in 2023. Since he took over as the Wolverines’ starter in 2022, he threw 44 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Five of those INTs have come in two games, however; he threw three against Bowling Green earlier in 2023, and he had two pick-sixes in the College Football Playoff semifinal loss to TCU last season. Outside of those two games, he has managed games effectively and made great decisions with the football,” Kiper wrote for ESPN.
“I recently projected McCarthy in the middle of Round 1 in my debut mock draft, and I think he will put up great testing numbers at the combine. Sure, he averaged just 22.1 pass attempts per game in 2023 and only needed to complete 10 passes in the national title game, but his upside is immense.”
We’ll have to see where McCarthy ultimately lands in the draft, but it’s clear that Kiper is high on him.
[ESPN]
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