Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy named QB with rising stock ahead of NFL Combine
Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy has seen his stock rise tremendously over the last month since declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. With the combine right around the corner, he has a chance to solidify himself as a potential top-10, or higher, selection.
The NFL Combine in Indianapolis should allow him the opportunity to do just that, having the opportunity to meet with all 32 teams in addition to on-field testing. Most assume he will ace that portion of the evaluation process, and Justin Melo of The Draft Network is in that camp.
Melo named McCarthy as one of five passers at the event who could do the most to boost his stock in no particular order. The others include Oregon’s Bo Nix, Tennessee’s Joe Milton, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler.
“No quarterback is climbing draft boards like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy right now,” Melo wrote. “Fresh off a National Championship victory, McCarthy is beginning to threaten for top-10 status and may even leap over Jayden Daniels and/or Drake Maye on certain draft boards.
“It’s difficult to envision McCarthy doing anything that hinders his draft stock in Indianapolis. McCarthy’s combination of arm talent and athletic ability should lead to eye-opening results. Expect McCarthy to continue his ascension.”
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McCarthy, who was 27-1 as a starter at Michigan, threw for 2,991 yards with 22 touchdowns and 4 interceptions this season for the Maize and Blue. He is currently the 57th-ranked player in the 2024 NFL Draft class on Pro Football Focus’ big board.
McCarthy could match or eclipse his former head coach, but could also fall somewhere into the second round. That would put him in the running to be selected somewhere close to Michigan’s second-highest quarterback selected since Harbaugh in Chad Henne, who went 57th overall to the Miami Dolphins in 2007.
Since then, Michigan has had only a single quarterback drafted. That designation went to Jake Rudock, who was a seventh-round selection of the Detroit Lions in 2016.
Next up in the process is the 2024 NFL Combine, set for Feb. 25 through March 4 in Indianapolis. This year’s draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27, just 45 minutes down the road from Ann Arbor.
