Seahawks Projected To Draft 'Next Andrew Luck' in Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy

The latest 2024 mock draft has the Seattle Seahawks drafting Geno Smith's replacement.

Despite it being the middle of Week 2 of this young NFL season, it is never too early to start talking about the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fans of every NFL team would love to either learn about a potential rising star that they should want, or maybe figure out who the missing piece is for their team. CBS Sports presented that opportunity on Wednesday, as the site released the latest edition of the 2024 NFL Mock Draft. To the surprise of some, the Seattle Seahawks are projected to take a quarterback.

While we all knew Geno Smith wasn't their forever quarterback, the mock may indicate some doubt about where Smith can take this team in 2023. As a result, the Seahawks are projected to have the No. 10 pick, where they take Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

McCarthy was recently compared to Andrew Luck by his head coach at Michigan Jim Harbaugh, who tabbed him as a generational quarterback, The young Wolverine is rising up draft boards and is viewed as a nice fit. 

"I hate to compare, right," Harbaugh said. "Because he's very much like Andrew Luck, a quarterback that's once in a generation."

Here's what CBS Sports had to say:

"McCarthy has the arm talent and predisposition to let it rip downfield that Pete Carroll will love, and it blends well with the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at receiver," CBS Sports wrote.

CBS Sports has him ranked as the No. 41 prospect and the No. 5 quarterback in the draft class. 

McCarthy threw for over 2,700 yards last season with 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions, while leading Michigan to a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff appearance. Through two games in 2023, he has thrown for 558 yards and five touchdowns, while completing 87.3 percent of his passes. 

As for Smith, he was widely viewed as a bridge quarterback when he first took over last season, but instead shined en route to completing a league-high 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while also being named to the Pro Bowl. Obviously, if he is able to perform as well as he did last season, he may be able to prevent a draft pick like this, but it is common for teams to take a young quarterback to sit behind a more experienced one.