2024 NFL Draft Rumors: Patriots Can Eye Michigan Quarterback J.J McCarthy to Fill Tom Brady Like QB Drought, Drake Maye’s Landing Under Scrutiny

The Michigan Wolverines’ golden boy might just be heading to Tom Brady’s home and the fans couldn’t be more excited. The franchise quarterback for the team was the backbone of the Wolverines’ glory in the 2023 season and now will be heading to the NFL to level up his game.

J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, declared for the NFL Draft after an exceptional season last year. He led the team to a 15-0 undefeated streak and later on, won the national championship. Under Harbaugh’s guidance, he was termed as a better quarterback than Brady himself by many. And now ironically, he is in talks to head to the New England Patriots, endangering Drake Maye’s chances of being picked by Jerod Mayo.

J.J. McCarthy’s signing with the Patriots could risk Maye’s chances of coming to the 6x Super Bowl-winning team

It was recently reported that J.J. McCarthy would overtake Drake Maye to be the Patriots’ number 1 overall pick. Since the draft order will give the Patriots the number 3rd pick right after the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders, it was seemingly obvious that Maye would be the player to join former HC Belichick’s team.

J.J. McCarthy has witnessed a massive rise in his draft stock after an exceptional performance at the NFL Combine. The Michigan QB impressed Mel Kiper, an ESPN analyst, who claims that McCarthy might overtake Drake Maye against popular opinion. He said, “Drake Maye – J.J. McCarthy, it’s a battle. I think that’s legitimate. I’m talking to some of the people before the show and all I hear is J.J. McCarthy. J.J. McCarthy is smart, tough and athletic. … The bottom line is that J.J. McCarthy could overtake Drake Maye.” Moreover, this is what Kiper had to say about the NFL team that McCarthy could potentially land up with if not for the Patriots.

Mel Kiper believes that the Denver Broncos would be a good fit for J.J. McCarthy

McCarthy is without a doubt one of the best QBs to come out of the 2023 season. With an amazing record of 2,991 passing yards and over 22 completed touchdowns, he is definitely a player that could go head to head with the North Carolina Tar Heels QB, Drake Maye. But if Kiper’s claims are refuted, then which team could Harbaugh’s pride end up with?

According to Kiper, the Denver Broncos could land J.J. McCarthy. Since the current QB for the Broncos, Russell Wilson, is reported to head to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal, the spot for McCarthy stays wide open. Moreover, this is what Kiper had to say about Sean Payton signing McCarthy to the Broncos.

He said, “Denver makes sense to me. You think about Sean Payton in that division (AFC West), you think about where we are in AFC. Where are they going to go after quarterback Russell Wilson isn’t going to be back? Who is Denver’s quarterback going to be? They could try to trade up. Good luck on that. If (Denver) sits where they are, maybe McCarthy’s gone.” Thus, it is evident that McCarthy could either end up with the Patriots or the Broncos, both top-notch teams in the NFL that could escalate his career to all-time highs.

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Will McCarthy be picked by the Patriots or the Broncos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.