Draft Insider Not Optimistic About Michigan Football Quarterback

The 2024 NFL Draft is a lot closer than most fans would like to admit — in fact, at best, there are a lot of Wolverine legends that only have a few games remaining until they are off to the next level or otherwise. In the case of Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy, who was once pinned as a top 2024 NFL Draft target, no one is quite sure what lies ahead for him. McCarthy’s level of play has dropped a bit since his injury, and while a lot of teams are undoubtedly eyeing him, a top draft insider has JJ’s stock plummeting as the Rose Bowl approaches.

NFL Draft insider drops Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy down to No. 7 QB

In Ann Arbor, JJ McCarthy is QB1 — in fact, with a 3-0 record and a trifecta of Big Ten Championships, he will always be QB1 to most Michigan football fans. That said, NFL Draft insider Mel Kiper is not so sure that he is even among the top five quarterbacks available in the coming draft cycle, dropping him to No. 7 on his big board.

“It’s Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, who has been one of the most difficult evaluations of this entire (2024 NFL Draft) class,” Mel Kiper Jr. said, per ESPN. “He has the tools to be in the mix for that No. 3 QB spot, but he just didn’t convince me down the stretch. Where were the “wow” throws? I didn’t see him go through progressions much.

“Sure, he only had four interceptions, but three of those came against … Bowling Green? Plus, he wasn’t asked to beat teams with his arm, partly because the Wolverines blew out all of their opponents until November,” Kiper added. “It’s clear McCarthy has a ton of talent, but not all NFL teams are going to be in love with him, which means he could drop to Day 2. I have him as my No. 7 QB right now.”

McCarthy could change this in the Rose Bowl and national title game

As I mentioned, JJ McCarthy has been playing through injury over the past few weeks — especially against three of the top-four defenses in college football: Penn State, Ohio State, and Iowa. In all three outings, McCarthy did what needed to be done for the Wolverines to pick up a win and keep their record perfect heading into the Rose Bowl against Alabama.

If JJ McCarthy struggles in the playoffs like he did in 2022, and especially if Michigan football loses in the first round again, I suspect that NFL teams will not be quite as high on him as they once were. On the other hand, if McCarthy picks apart a defense like Alabama‘s and leads Michigan to its first national title since 1997, the story could be a lot different by the time April rolls around.

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