Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy is arguably the hottest prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class at the moment. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines are fresh off of a National Championship victory, and he's been riding that momentum to a potential top-10 NFL Draft status when all is said and done. And if the latest rumors are true, maybe top two NFL Draft status...
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— Luke Braun (temporary college basketball fan) (@LukeBraunNFL) March 25, 2024
There are a lot of teams that need a quarterback in this year's draft, and the more this crop of players at QB has been dissected, the more it seems people and teams like a lot of different guys.
But the more time has passed since the college football season ended, it's hard to think of a single player who has been winning people over more than JJ McCarthy. There are still some who have concerns about whether or not McCarthy can be a viable franchise QB option considering he didn't throw a high volume of passes at Michigan and was not asked to necessarily "carry" the team. But Jim Harbaugh has been effusive in his praise of McCarthy, labeling him the best QB in this draft class.
If the Washington Commanders are truly falling in love with McCarthy over others at the position, it could leave a number of other teams around the league fuming. Let's look at a handful of them.
1. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings may not be too upset about missing out on McCarthy, but they've been one of the teams connected to him basically since the beginning of draft season. There have been plenty of other rumors connecting the Vikings to Drake Maye as well with Josh McCown on Kevin O'Connell's staff. McCown was a high school coach of Maye's a few years back.
Still, you can't help but wonder how much the Vikings may have had their hearts set on McCarthy. They seem to be preparing for a trade up the draft board with their acquisition of the Texans' first-round pick in 2024. They now hold the 11th and 23rd overall picks in this class and may have been poised to trade up for McCarthy.
If these rumors are true, the Vikings had better hope the New England Patriots don't love Drake Maye so they can possibly still swoop in and take the next QB on their board.
2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos and head coach Sean Payton are somewhat stuck in "no-man's land" with the 12th overall pick in this year's draft.
The Broncos don't have a second-round pick in 2024, so they might be banking on the quarterback they really want/like to be sitting there when they are on the clock and ready to pick. For most of the offseason -- up to this point -- it feels like the Broncos may have been able to rely on the possibility of all three of JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. sitting there when it's their turn to pick.
If McCarthy goes to the Commanders, that obviously limits their options.
Although Sean Payton has recently stated it's still realistic to think that the Broncos could trade up, it may no longer be realistic to think that Payton could end up getting JJ McCarthy. There have been rumblings that the Broncos were blown away by what McCarthy showed during his NFL Combine interview, although there's no way we can possibly validate any of that. It's lying season this time of year, and Payton isn't going to make his intentions known.
The difference for the Commanders is, it doesn't matter what leaks from their building right now. They know the Bears are taking Caleb Williams with the top pick, so there's no risk of them getting jumped.
The Broncos' options might be more limited than they initially thought.
3. New York Giants
The New York Giants continue to make it known publicly that they believe in Daniel Jones and what he showed in 2022 when he was fully healthy, but they are also doing a little more than "due diligence" when it comes to the 2024 quarterback class.
The Giants hold the 6th overall pick, and there have been leaks in recent weeks that they are enamored by both Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy. Apparently, the Giants were smitten with Daniels but resigned to the idea of him going in the top three picks, so they pivoted their interest in McCarthy.
The Giants' front office and coaching brain trust met privately with McCarthy before his Pro Day, and it's no coincidence that rumors started leaking after that. Now, it's possible that both Daniels and McCarthy will be off the board within the top three picks. And if the Arizona Cardinals are open for business with the 4th overall pick, the Giants could be looking at a reality in which four quarterbacks go off the board before they even have a chance to blink on draft night.
If New York was looking for an excuse to move on from Daniel Jones, they unfortunately may no longer have one.