The 2024 NFL Draft will be held at the end of April. While draft hopefuls have to wait almost two more months before learning their initial NFL fate, the Draft Combine this week provides them a chance to work out in front of scouts, coaches and front-office executives. Players like Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy have a chance to prove some of the doubters wrong with a strong Combine performance to try and increase his draft stock.
Despite McCarthy coming off a national championship season with the Wolverines, he wasn’t projected as a first-round pick this year. Then, reports came out that a former scout said that McCarthy should be the second-best quarterback in the class, and his projections shot up high in the second round. According to a report by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, McCarthy is expected to throw at the Combine.
J.J. McCarthy’s collegiate production
McCarthy spent three seasons playing for Michigan. He was a backup as a freshman in 2021 but finally got the starting nod as a sophomore in 2022. McCarthy played in 14 games that year and threw for 2,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He isn’t a dual-threat quarterback, but he picked up 306 yards and five scores on the ground. McCarthy improved last season with 2,991 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. The Wolverines had a run-first offense, so the focal point of McCarthy’s stats should be his touchdown to interception ratio rather than his being scrutinized for lower passing yard numbers.