J.J. McCarthy Hype Reaches Another Team
It can be expected every year during the NFL Draft process.
One player, particularly one at the quarterback position, sees massive amounts of hype from analysts and NFL teams, thus causing him to skyrocket up draft boards. This spring, that hype largely has been around Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, and yet another team appears to be impressed by his skillset.
Another Team Connected to the J.J. McCarthy Hype
McCarthy and the rest of his draft eligible Michigan teammates went through their pro day last week, and reportedly, the New England Patriots came away very impressed with the quarterback. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reported, “What I heard from other general managers, not from the Patriots, but other general managers, is that Eliot Wolf, the de facto general manager for the Patriots, is in love with J.J. McCarthy. And right now, the feeling is that […] Eliot Wolf is pushing for J.J. McCarthy and that seems like it’s going to be the pick.”
The New England Patriots hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Seeing as they recently traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they very reasonably could be interested in a quarterback with that pick, and this report from Pauline suggests that they may have their eye on McCarthy.
Interestingly, that latest update comes just days after Tom Pelissero of NFL Network suggested that the Washington Commanders could be looking at McCarthy with the No. 2 pick. Pelissero said on an episode of The Insiders just over a week ago, “When I’ve had conversations here with executives from other teams who know [Washington Commanders GM] Adam Peters well, know the situation well, the most popular answer for what [the Commanders] do at number two, is J.J. McCarthy.”
Of course, the Minnesota Vikings are another team that may be interested in taking a quarterback prospect. Fans and analysts alike have been pounding the table for Drake Maye to be the next QB to don a purple jersey.
While this news could be viewed as very good news in Minnesota’s pursuit of Maye, fans should proceed cautiously. The supposed interest in McCarthy may very well be sincere but allow your humble author to succumb to cynicism for a moment.
There is an equally decent chance that these reports are coming out right now because it is the precise news that New England wants to be out there. The interest in McCarthy could simply be a smokescreen in an attempt to make teams like the Vikings, Giants, etc. less enticed to trade up above them.
For example, we saw a pretty similar situation with Will Levis last year. Heading into draft night, there was a strong consensus that assumed the Houston Texans would select him with the second overall pick. Instead, the Texans took C.J. Stroud, and Levis fell out of the first round entirely.
Overall, though, there is no true way to know how these teams actually feel about this spring’s QB prospects until the draft officially gets underway in 22 days on April 25th.
Vikings Rumors: Veteran Corners Aplenty, The Fields Fail, and O’Connell (Sort of) on McCarthy
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.