Is J.J. McCarthy Leaping Ahead of Drake Maye?
Heading into the 2023 college football season, there was plenty of debate about whether or not North Carolina's Drake Maye could unseat USC's Caleb Williams as the top quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL draft class.
Now, with just over a month until the draft, it looks like Maye has been relegated to fighting off other quarterbacks for the No. 2 spot in the pecking order.
Legendary draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN recently shared his opinion that Maye could end up fighting with Michigan's J.J. McCarthy to be the third quarterback off the board, behind Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels:
McCarthy helped lead the Wolverines to an undefeated season and a national title last season, and he was impressive at the NFL Scouting Combine. That said, he's largely been untested as a volume passer at the college level, and still appears to be a more developmental prospect who will require plenty of patience at the next level, compared to Maye.
There's still about six weeks to go before the draft, and these kinds of narratives always go up to another level this time of year. While it's possible that McCarthy could be the third quarterback off the board, don't be surprised if conventional wisdom wins out, and Maye is still selected before him.
