Could Patriots Consider This QB Who’s Reportedly Moving Up NFL Draft Boards?

J.J. McCarthy was not initially viewed among the top quarterback prospects entering the 2024 NFL Draft. Part of that was because it wasn’t known whether he would declare or return to the national champion Michigan Wolverines. But since McCarthy declared in mid-January, he has elevated himself into the conversation.

Numerous reports have surfaced noting that McCarthy is rising on NFL draft boards. Some reports even mentioned McCarthy as a potential top-10 selection in April.

“He’s definitely moving up the board,” NFL reporter Mike Giardi said on NBC Sports Boston last week. “He’s climbing fast and, again, if teams aren’t willing to move at picks No. 1, 2 and 3, would I be shocked if by the end of this, J.J. McCarthy is a top 10 pick? I would not be.”

Giardi isn’t alone. Fellow NFL reporter Benjamin Allbright posted on the X platform that those in the league are “definitely higher” on McCarthy and lower on fellow quarterbacks Bo Nix and Michael Penix. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his first mock draft that evaluators have described McCarthy’s processing as “elite.”

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McCarthy has the fifth-shortest betting prices to be drafted No. 1 overall, but remains a distant 28-1 in that market and 100-1 to be the first quarterback selected. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is widely figured to be the top selection (-900) and first signal-caller off the board (-1000).

However, McCarthy might be creeping into consideration after that. When it comes to the New England Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick, McCarthy is +550 behind quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (+150) and Drake Maye (+165) as well as wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. (+225). Daniels and Maye figure to be off the board shortly after Williams, but if the Patriots don’t love the one who is left, perhaps they select McCarthy? Or maybe they trade to the back end of the top 10 and grab McCarthy there?

While the opinions of oddsmakers obviously do not directly correlate to NFL draft evaluators, there’s still something to be said about the McCarthy smoke — the rumors combined with the betting markets.

For now, the Patriots have been heavily linked to Daniels. The LSU product not only is the betting favorite to be drafted No. 3 overall — in a separate but similar market, the Patriots also are the betting favorite to draft Daniels — but NFL mock draft enthusiasts consistently have tabbed Daniels to New England.

But as we’ve seen in recent years, draft boards can change the closer we get. If McCarthy, who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, shows out in pre-draft workouts and impresses in meetings, perhaps the Patriots could be more intrigued by him than one of the other top prospects.