NFL Draft

Is J.J. McCarthy Leaping Ahead of Drake Maye?

McCarthy's rapid rise up the draft board could make him a top-five pick, even ahead of Maye.

Luke Easterling

Is J.J. McCarthy Leaping Ahead of Drake Maye?
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.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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