Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a million — or multiple million(s) — dollar decision to make after the college football season is over. Will he stay in Ann Arbor for one last year, or enter the 2024 NFL draft? Depending on which NFL draft expert you might listen to, they may have McCarthy as the No. 3 QB or the No. 7 QB heading into April. That could make him go from anywhere in the first half of the first round all the way into the middle to late second round of the draft. But if you look at the most recent ESPN mock draft by Matt Miller — McCarthy is a top-10 pick.
Miller has the Las Vegas Raiders taking McCarthy with the No. 7 overall pick.Could the Raiders roll with Aidan O’Connell in 2024? Sure, but all signs right now point to them starting over at quarterback with a new regime in place, even after signing Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2023 offseason. McCarthy is instinctive, efficient and effective as a second-effort creator outside of the pocket. The Michigan scheme does him no favors in terms of statistics, but NFL scouts continue to tell me that McCarthy will be drafted earlier than expected.
With Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) expected to return to college for the 2024 season, McCarthy is the lone first-round-caliber passer remaining on my board. And if things play out this way, this would be the quickest that four QBs have come off the board in the common draft era (since 1967), per ESPN Stats & Information. Miller has Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels all going before McCarthy, but if the junior receives a top-10 grade, it will be hard to turn down the NFL. However, there are plenty of variables surrounding the decision McCarthy will make. How does Michigan do in the CFP this year? What’s the status of Jim Harbaugh and does the NCAA hand down any punishments before McCarthy has to make a decision?
