NFL Draft 2024: Former first-round pick at QB believes Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy could be a top-10 pick

The 2024 NFL Draft is going to be headlined by quarterbacks. This class is flooded with talented signal-callers headlined by USC’s Caleb Williams, who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. In fact, most mock drafts have three QBs coming off the board within the first three picks, further highlighting how the position is set to engulf the weekend this spring. And it goes beyond just those three. 

Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, fresh off a National Championship win in the College Football Playoff, is one of the more polarizing prospects at this stage of the pre-draft process. While he’s not currently in the conversation with Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, or UNC’s Drake Maye to go inside the top three, his stock does seem to be climbing by the minute. 

On CBS Sports HQ, former first-round quarterback Brady Quinn noted that he believes McCarthy will ultimately land inside the top 10 of the draft. 

“To me, he’s going to end up being a top 10 pick when it’s all said and done,” said Quinn. “I think teams are going to love his ability to create and his ability to take off and run, too.” 

Quinn isn’t the only one looking at McCarthy so highly. While not inside the top-10, CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Ryan Wilson has him heading to the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 13 overall pick in his latest mock draft. Fellow CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso has McCarthy flirting with top-10 status in his mock draft as he lands with the Minnesota Vikings, who own the No. 11 overall pick.

And if he’s already knocking on the door in late February with the combine and his pro day still on the horizon, it could be only up from here. 

Specifically why Quinn believes he has top-10 potential is because he likes McCarthy’s ability to layer the football and fit it into tight windows. It simply wasn’t on full display throughout his time at Michigan because of the team’s talent and offensive structure. 

“This is a team that’s really run the football incredibly well,” Quinn said of Michigan’s offense. “[McCarthy] hasn’t had to necessarily dominate games. I’ll still go back to when he’s had to do it, he’s showcased the ability to. … He’s able to layer the ball which is another thing you always hear talked about this time of year. The ability to get it over one defender, but in front of the next or inside a tight window. He showcases all of that. We just didn’t see it as much as we saw with a lot of other quarterbacks who threw the football more.” 

McCarthy is currently CBS Sports’ No. 5 ranked quarterback in this year’s class and the No. 32 prospect overall.