Buzz continues to grow JJ McCarthy has skipped Jayden Daniels in NFL Draft projections: Are the Commanders a lock to take him at No. 2?
The stock of Michigan star JJ McCarthy has been rising for weeks, and the buzz around the NFL continues to make it look like he will bypass Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and be the second quarterback selected later this month.
For the last year, there has been a consensus that USC star and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams will be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While the Trojans disappointed this past season, little has changed about his projection and he is still expected to be taken by the Chicago Bears when they start off the April 25 event.
However, the speculation about which QB will go after him has been one of the most popular talking points around the league for months. To most, Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye have been the top choices. However, after winning a national championship in January, JJ McCarthy’s stock has shockingly skyrocketed.
Late in 2023 most draft boards had him in the third tier of QBs alongside national championship opponent Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix. But the narrative on him has quickly shifted during the pre-NFL Draft process and according to ESPN draft expert Matt Miller, the ongoing buzz around McCarthy possibly being the second QB taken has become undeniable.
“If this was one or two people saying it, I’d probably dismiss it as the usual April draft buzz that doesn’t come to fruition. But enough sources around the NFL are whispering that McCarthy could very well be the second quarterback off the board that it has to be considered possible at this point,” he wrote recently.
Will the Washington Commanders use their top pick on JJ McCarthy?
If McCarthy is expected to be the second quarterback selected in April, it would seem likely that he will be a member of the Washington Commanders roster on April 25. The organization is clearly in need of a long-term answer at the position and has made no notable moves this offseason to fill their starting QB spot for 2024.
