J.J. McCarthy won’t be the first quarterback of the board when the 2024 NFL draft rolls around on Thursday, April 25, but there will be few prospects more intriguing than the Michigan product .
The veteran quarterback declared for the draft on Sunday, days after leading the Wolverines to a national championship win over Washington. He brings an undeniable winning résumé to the pros, with a 27–1 record as a starter over the last two seasons for the Wolverines.
Compared to other potential first-rounders like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels though, McCarthy didn’t exactly stuff the statsheet. McCarthy finished 2023 with 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions, completing a robust 72.3% of his throws. He’s also dangerous as a runner, with 202 yards and three touchdowns, and scored 10 times on the ground during his college career.
Notably, Michigan really leaned on its run game down the stretch of the season, including in some of the season’s biggest games. Over the last six games of the season—at Penn State, at Maryland, vs. Ohio State, vs. Iowa (Big Ten championship) and vs. Alabama and Washington (College Football Playoff)—McCarthy threw for more than 150 yards just three times (his 221-yard, three touchdown performance against the Crimson Tide.) He averaged just 142.8 yards per game during that stretch, with four touchdowns and one interception.
