J.J. McCarthy NFL Draft Hype Great News for Jets?

The New York Jets, in all likelihood, won't find their franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Other teams searching for their savior could be great for New York's hopes.

Having traded for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and firmly entrenched in a win-now window, the New York Jets are almost certainly out of the quarterback market for the first round of the NFL Draft. At No. 10 overall, they’ll hope to pick a difference-maker, most likely at receiver or on the offensive line.

However, the consensus has carved out a few prospects that stand tall above the rest, and New York, having won seven games in 2023, may find itself out of range to take one.

The Jets’ best chance at grabbing an elite talent comes from the help of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy points down the field during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 :: © Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK

McCarthy has been a late riser among the crop of this year’s quarterbacks. USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye have long led the pack and figure to be the most likely options to go first and second overall come April. LSU’s Jayden Daniels set college football ablaze, winning the Heisman and making sure he joined the top-five conversation.

After winning a national championship, the hype for McCarthy has risen significantly, with an increasing share of the media reporting that NFL teams like him more than the consensus would suggest.

If Daniels does indeed go with a top-five pick, several teams may have their eye on McCarthy as a consolation prize. Whether it be the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 or a team trading up to the picks immediately before/after, this draft could see four quarterbacks go before New York is on the clock.

Simply put, New York is out of the market on quarterbacks, meaning it is rooting for as many to be selected as possible. The more passers that go top-nine, the more non-quarterback talent will be available at No. 10.

Each team and analyst has their board, but the consensus has Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt as the clear top linemen in this year’s class. New York is badly in need of a star up front, but has consistently been mocked a second-tier tackle like Taliese Fuaga – he’s no slouch but lacks the potential of his counterparts.

Frequent Jets targets also include receivers, most frequently in the form of Washington’s Rome Odunze. But what if LSU’s Malik Nabers fell to 10?

It isn’t particularly likely that one of Fashanu, Alt, or Nabers is available for New York, but general manager Joe Douglas should sprint to the podium if that were the case. The only way it becomes a legitimate possibility is if enough quarterbacks go early.

Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. won’t be an option, neither would any of the four quarterbacks hypothetically taken. If Williams, Maye, Daniels, and Harrison go in that order and McCarthy is picked soon after, that leaves four selections until the Jets’ pick. From there, new York could need two of the following to occur:

• Another team gets desperate and trades up for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix or Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
• A team to take Odunze before Nabers
• A team to take Georgia tight end Brock Bowers
• Any defensive player gets taken

A McCarthy selection doesn’t lock that in. But what was once a pipe dream can become a legitimate possibility. It would likely lessen the asking price should Douglas trade up, as trading up to, say, No. 8, is easier than jumping several teams and swapping picks with the Los Angeles Chargers, drafting at No. 5.

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Opinions are mixed on McCarthy. Some see a ball of clay with a big arm, others see a raw passer carried by a championship-caliber roster. But the Quarterback Industrial Complex is here to stay, and if there’s fire to the Michigan Man’s smoke, the Jets could be a beneficiary.