Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy declares for 2024 NFL Draft

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has made his 2024 NFL Draft decision. The Wolverines signal caller will forego his remaining eligibility and enter April’s NFL Draft, he announced on social media.

McCarthy was wildly successful as a starting quarterback for Michigan, taking over the job after winning an open competition with Cade McNamara prior to the 2022 season. He guided Michigan to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff berths. He’s only lost as a starting quarterback in the CFP.

In nearly two seasons as the starter, McCarthy has been a highly efficient but low-volume passer, relative to other top quarterbacks. He completed 64.6% of his 322 attempts in 2022 for 2719 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He bumped up his completion percentage to 74.2% in 2023 on 287 pass attempts for 2630 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Forever a Michigan Man 💙🙏 pic.twitter.com/0i50FzLsoB

— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) January 14, 2024

The opinion on McCarthy among NFL evaluators is likely varied, as the true junior has shown plenty of arm talent and athletic upside, but in a very small sample. Some have tabbed him as a potential QB3 in the 2024 class while others are lower, projecting him as a Day 2 pick, projections that weren’t drastically altered by McCarthy’s 2023 tape.

That McCarthy is a potential NFL draft pick is reflective of his top-shelf recruiting pedigree.

McCarthy finished his high school career at IMG (Florida) Academy, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 47 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

More on the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the first round on Thursday, April 25, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, April 27.

Players will have the opportunity to solidify their draft stock at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from February 26 through March 4.

The three-day event will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility.

Last season, 69 players were granted special eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft. 13 underclassmen who had completed their college degrees were also deemed eligible to be selected.

The deadline to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft is on January 15. NFL teams will receive a full list of eligible players in the class on January 19.