Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been one of the steadiest risers of the evaluating season as the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft approaches. However, Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner is among the minority group that hasn’t fully bought in on the ex-Wolverine.
While rumors swirl of teams jockeying for position to potentially move up to take a quarterback like McCarthy early in the opening round, Warner said he would be against trading assets to grab the former Michigan product and admitted that he wouldn’t even select him in the top 10.
“For me, I would have to be confident that I believed that whoever I drafted at that position could carry my team throw after throw after throw and do it week after week after week because that’s what the position entails,” Warner said appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show”. “I’m just not sold that J.J. can do that because I haven’t seen it. I just haven’t seen it at the college level, and that’s what worries me.”
Warner went on to clarify his opinion, adding that McCarthy one day may become the guy who can put a team on his back and make all the tough throws required of a starting NFL quarterback. Regarding the pecking order in this year’s talent pool, though, the former Rams star doesn’t consider McCarthy among the top three at his position.
When pressed, Warner said he would take Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. over McCarthy and even argued to have the former Huskies signal-caller ranked higher than North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who many expect to be selected No. 2 overall by the Washington Commanders.
“I think he was a better passer and more consistent throwing the football than J.J. was,” Warner said.
We’ll soon find out where McCarthy ultimately lands, but the consensus still says he doesn’t make it past pick No. 10 overall (currently held by the New York Jets). In the final mock draft released by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, McCarthy ends up going No. 5 overall to the Minnesota Vikings following a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.
