Could five quarterbacks fly off the board before the midway point of the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft?
In NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter’s latest mock draft, he had Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye coming off the board with the first three picks, and the Minnesota Vikings trading up to the No. 4 pick to snag Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Additionally, he had the Denver Broncos drafting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th pick.
He has Minnesota parting with two first-round picks and a fourth to make the trade. That would theoretically give the Cardinals three first-round picks in the 2024 draft, and the franchise does end up trading back to No. 8 to grab wide receiver Rome Odunze in Reuter’s latest projection.
Other notable landing spots in Reuter’s mock include Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Los Angeles Chargers, Malik Nabers going to the New York Giants, Joe Alt going to the Tennessee Titans and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. going to the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round.
McCarthy is rated as the fourth-best quarterback and the 30th overall prospect in the draft by Bleacher Report’s Derrick Classes. The Vikings would be moving quite a lot of value to grab him, but the franchise needs a franchise quarterback after Kirk Cousins left in free agency.
Grabbing McCarthy and having him on a rookie deal could be a perfect solution for a Vikings team that needs to extend wide receiver Justin Jefferson, but it would also require McCarthy to take a big step forward. The positives with him revolve around team success, as he went 27-1 and led Michigan to a national championship in 2023.
However, his statistics didn’t jump off the page, as he never eclipsed 3,000 passing yards in a season during his collegiate career. Still, he was very efficient, only throwing 11 career interceptions, and had a career completion percentage of 67.6. He also passes the eye test with a 6’3″ frame, so he has plenty of room for development.
Nix has significant experience, but also is older at 24 years old and may have a lower ceiling than McCarthy. Still, he could join a Broncos team coached by Sean Payton and be allowed to take the keys to the franchise early, with Jarrett Stidham currently projected as the starter.
2024-03-22 18:15:26
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