QB JJ McCarthy of the Michigan Wolverines concluded his college career

JJ McCarthy, the quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, won a national title to cap off his college career. Now that he’s following in coach Jim Harbaugh’s footsteps, McCarthy might be among the NFL teams’ top offseason targets.

McCarthy, a 6-foot-3 quarterback, isn’t among this class’s most decorated players. Not like Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams, he hasn’t won a Heisman Trophy. Additionally, the signal-caller for the Wolverines lacks the stature of Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr.

Statistics for JJ McCarthy: 2,991 passing yards, 22-4 TD-INT, 9.0 ypa, and 167.4 QB rating.
Related: A well-known NFL coach joins the Michigan Wolverines’ staff for 2024

But as NFL teams go more into the 2024 quarterback class, it seems like their opinion of McCarthy is far more in line with Harbaugh’s evaluation than one might anticipate.

Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic, predicted that McCarthy will be selected in the top 12 picks in 2024. Furthermore, he wouldn’t completely rule out McCarthy going as high as No. 6 overall.

Meetings with NFL teams are one setting in which McCarthy is expected to truly shine during the pre-draft process. The quarterback who now leads the Big Ten in passing yards per play and is invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is thought to dazzle teams with his football acumen, leadership, and manner.

Although McCarthy’s decline in output and the Wolverines’ offense taking the ball away from him more worried some people in the latter half of the 2023 season, most people agree that it was a reflection of what would work best for Michigan at the time.

160.5 QB rating, 6,226 passing yards, 67.6% completion percentage, 8.7 yards per attempt, 49-11 TD-INT in 40 games are JJ McCarthy’s career stats.

Related: NFL Draft sequence and club selections for 2024

The Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and Las Vegas Raiders are the clubs to watch if McCarthy is selected in the top 12 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Atlanta would probably be McCarthy’s best option among those. The Falcons have the offensive weapons (Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts) to help McCarthy succeed, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s scheme may be ideal for his abilities.

Already rising in the ranks, McCarthy’s draft status is expected to soar after he meets with teams at the NFL Combine. If he keeps up his impressive play, four quarterbacks might be selected in the first ten picks in April.