Broncos Land National Champion QB in CBS Sports Mock Draft

Will the Denver Broncos opt to take a shot on a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft?

With the Denver Broncos regular season up and the offseason underway, it's the perfect time to start diving into some mock drafts and scouting ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. The franchise finds themselves at the top end of the first round at pick number 12 with an array of options on the table.

Though, of those options, selecting a quarterback likely sticks out as the most appealing direction for Denver. After persistent and exhausting drama has surrounded the position for the past two seasons, GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have ample ability to take a breath of fresh air with a new rookie at the helm to build around for years to come.

As CBS Sports' Josh Edwards writes, the Broncos' current need for a quarterback could land them as a prime destination to land Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. In CBS' latest mock draft, Denver ends up selecting McCarthy at 12th overall as the fourth QB off the board:

"Russell Wilson is under contract for the 2024 regular season but it would be pretty awkward if he were back as the team's starting quarterback. J.J. McCarthy is a winner and he is accurate. I could see Sean Payton falling in love with those qualities and bringing the national champion to the Rocky Mountains."

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McCarthy ends up at 12 in this mock, with USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels chosen in the top three spots. The Wolverine has started to make a name for himself on draft boards after his championship win vs. Washington earlier this year.

McCarthy ended his junior year under center for Michigan with 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and just four interceptions under head coach Jim Harbaugh. McCarthy was also stellar when it came to throwing an accurate ball, completing 72.3% of his passes during the regular season. If the Broncos do decide to let go of Wilson this summer, McCarthy inevitably arises as a real possibility to be the next man up.

McCarthy's draft stock has seen numerous projections throughout the early scouting process, even with coach Harbaugh recently predicting him to end as the first quarterback off the board come draft night. While that might be wishful thinking and should be taken with a grain of salt from his former college coach, it shows how substantially the opinion can vary on McCarthy as a prospect.

No official moves have been made on the Russ front, but all signs point to a new signal caller getting the nod for Payton. With the steep contractual implications combined with the ugly fallout we witnessed between the two in the final quarter of this past season, it's less than likely this pairing will get another shot together.

If the Russ-Payton divorce ends up going down as expected, the quarterback could (and should) be a core focus for this squad ahead of the draft. Keep an eye on McCarthy as a serious contender to be the man for the job.

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