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Potential Broncos QB Target J.J. McCarthy Sends Message to NFL Ahead of Draft
J.J. McCarthy left Roger Goodell hanging.
According to Pro Football Talk, only 13 prospects accepted invitations to attend the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit. Traditionally, the cameras keep a steady focus on the well-known quarterback prospects on draft day, but potential Denver Broncos targets — Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. — may not have been invited to attend in Detroit.
Ascending Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was among those prospects who were invited but didn't respond to the NFL's invite. Commissioner Roger Goodell's golden opportunity to grab hold of the Wolverines' National Championship quarterback will seemingly have to wait a little longer.
McCarthy is expected to hear his own name called rather early on draft day, and that probably means he's beyond the reach of Sean Payton and the Broncos. Both Nix and Penix are on the Broncos' radar as workable Plan B options at No. 12 overall and possibly later, but they could just as easily fall out of the first round.
These young signal-callers opted to avoid risking the highly public torture of having a camera panned on them if they plummet down the draft board. The NFL is purportedly keen on cutting some of the costs of flying some players to the draft.
Masquerading as an attempt to reduce the NFL's 'carbon footprint,' players like Georgia tight end Brock Bowers staying home suggests that lessons have been taken from the remote-based draft the league held during the pandemic.
Plenty of other potential Broncos targets will be in attendance in the Motor City to take full advantage of the NFL's hospitality, however. Names to watch will be Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, and Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, all of whom will be there in to accept their new jerseys whenever they hear their names called.
Should the Broncos pull off a blockbuster trade or land a superstar QB in the draft, most of the headlines will be made away from the stage anyway. Commissioner Goodell might be slightly miffed at the lowest turnout of young talent in many years, but he can find plenty of solace in the fact that blue-chip quarterbacks like USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels will be on hand.
The high-profile quarterback power trio is expected to go No. 1, 2, and 3 overall on April 25, which will keep Goodell busy while satisfying his urge to give these newly rich young men big bear hugs on stage.
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