J.J. McCarthy

QB Prospect Notes: Williams, Patriots, Commanders, Giants

April 16th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Caleb Williams is still expected to hear his name called first during next week’s draft, but the USC quarterback didn’t make the best impression on teams during the pre-draft process. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Williams’ interviews with teams were described as “good, not great” and “just OK.”

As Fowler notes, Williams declined medical exams and only did a handful of interviews, where he didn’t show the same poise and preparation as his fellow QB prospects. Naturally, some teams assumed this was a “byproduct of being a player who knows he’s going No. 1.” While Williams’ pre-draft strategy wasn’t considered a personality red flag by scouts, one AFC executive believes Williams left the door open for the Bears to pivot.

“I don’t think he’s had a great spring,” the executive told Fowler. “He’s still going first. That’s pretty much a done deal. But while he was a no-brainer three months ago, there’s at least a conversation now. Even still, I think he’s a smart kid, a good kid. He just knows where he’s going.”

Perhaps partly due to Williams’ offseason showing, there are some coaches who have actually graded LSU’s Jayden Daniels over the USC QB, per Adam Caplan of ProFootballNetwork.com. Of course, the only opinion that matters belongs to the Bears, but this recent grading adjustment at least leads Caplan to surmise that Daniels will be selected ahead of North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

While Maye is an underdog to be selected in the top-two, it’s no longer a guarantee that he’s even chosen with the third-overall pick. As Albert Breer of SI.com notes, there’s a “healthy debate” in New England between Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. While there’s still a chance the Patriots trade out of the No. 3 spot in pursuit of future picks, Breer believes owner Robert Kraft “views this as a rare chance to get a quarterback at this level.” The organization has certainly made it clear they’re eyeing all of the top-tier prospects, as the Patriots have met with Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy.

Washington is currently sitting with the second-overall pick, and they’ve been equally active in scouting QB prospects. Interestingly, the team will be hosting all of Daniels, Maye, McCarthy, and Washington’s Michael Penix for their top-30 visits at the same time, per Breer. This stems from GM Adam Peters‘ experience from San Francisco, where the 49ers would bring in groupings of prospects to see how they interact with peers.

With the Cardinals and Chargers likely out of the running for a top QB prospect, the Giants are next in line at the position behind Chicago, Washington, and New England. There’s been recent buzz that the Giants could look to move up (per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post) or even move back (per Fowler, via WBG84), but either way, it’s pretty clear the organization is targeting a signal-caller.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes the Giants are high enough on Maye that they’d swing a trade up the draft board. The writer also believes the organization isn’t enamored with McCarthy, perhaps necessitating a trade back if the Michigan QB is there at No. 6. If the Giants do end up trading back, Duggan could see a scenario where the team is actively pursuing Penix or Oregon’s Bo Nix in the back half of the first round.

Patriots Hosting Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy

April 14th, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Ely Allen

The closer and closer we get to the 2024 NFL Draft, the more certain it seems that a run of quarterbacks will start the event. What continues to be entirely uncertain is the pecking order of passers following USC quarterback Caleb Williams. One popular name who continues to see his stock rise is Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is set to visit the Patriots over the next two days, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

McCarthy originally entered the pre-draft process as a likely candidate to be selected outside of the first round. The former starter of the reigning College Football Playoff champion Wolverines, McCarthy flew up draft boards as the pre-draft process went on, essentially cementing his status as a likely Day 1 pick. As he’s continued to impress at the NFL scouting combine and Michigan’s pro day, McCarthy’s draft stock has risen even more, making a case not only to be a top-four draft pick, but also to be the No. 2 overall selection after Williams.

Following the Bears’ No. 1 overall pick, the Commanders and Patriots follow at Nos. 2 and 3. McCarthy visited Washington earlier this week, and now he’ll get out to New England for a visit with the Patriots. McCarthy has come a long way from being in danger of falling outside of the first round and is now garnering attention from two teams at the top of this month’s draft.

It’s not all up to McCarthy, though. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and North Carolina passer Drake Maye have long been in the conversation for the those second and third picks, as well. Maye saw the Commanders and Patriots comprise the largest NFL contingents at his pro day. Daniels, though, is seeming to be the favorite to be picked by Washington. If Daniels is, indeed, the choice at No. 2 overall, this weekend’s trip to New England could do a lot to affect the Patriots’ intentions at No. 3.

Of course, there’s always a chance that the Patriots could choose to trade back out of the third overall selection, not taking Maye, Daniels, or McCarthy, but that’s a very unlikely scenario. According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston, the price for New England to move out of the top three is likely going to be too high for any team to accomplish a move up into their draft slot.

So, McCarthy’s visit looms large. The 21-year-old will reportedly have dinner tonight with team officials before spending tomorrow in Foxborough for his visit. He’ll be the last out of himself, Daniels, and Maye to meet with the team, but if he can leave the best, lasting impression, he could find himself as the preferred option at No. 3, if he doesn’t get chosen by Washington at No. 2, of course.

QB J.J. McCarthy To Visit Commanders

April 11th, 2024 at 12:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders are projected to select a quarterback second overall, but three candidates are in place to become the team’s next franchise passer. By the time the draft takes place, all three will have made a visit to the nation’s capital.

[POLL: How Will Commanders Proceed At No. 2?]

Washington will meet with J.J. McCarthy next week, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. He adds the same is also true of Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, both of whose ‘top 30’ visits have previously been reported. Considering every signal-caller not named Caleb Williams will likely be on the board when the Commanders make their selection, it comes as no surprise the team is evaluating each option at the position.

McCarthy entered the pre-draft process as part of the second tier of passers behind the Williams-Maye-Daniels trio. The Michigan product has seen his stock soar in recent weeks, however, owing in large part to an impressive showing at his Pro Day. A report from last month indicated McCarthy could be in play at second overall, and Washington’s interest in an in-person visit certainly suggests that is still the case.

Helping lead the Wolverines to an undefeated season and a national title, McCarthy was not leaned on heavily by Michigan’s run-first offense. His performances in workouts along with his age (21) has led to strong projections based on his upside, though. As is the case with Daniels and Maye, opinions are split amongst NFL evaluators regarding where McCarthy should (and will) end up being selected later this month.

A survey of various active and former general managers, scouts, coaches and ex-players who are now analysts conducted by The Athletic’s Ben Standig slotted McCarthy as the class’ fourth-best quarterback (subscription required). Two of those who were polled ranked him second overall, however, and it will be interesting to see which assessments match the one ultimately made by Commanders’ new regime.

First-year general manager Adam Peters, new head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will be key players in the decision-making process at No. 2 overall. Washington has Marcus Mariota in place, but a rookie selected with the team’s top pick would have the chance to earn the starting gig right away. Passers with more college experience will be on the board when the time comes to make a selection, but McCarthy will nevertheless receive consideration.

Poll: What Will Commanders Do At No. 2 Overall?

April 9th, 2024 at 10:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

When Washington last held the No. 2 overall pick, players like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were not realistic targets. Although both have become successful in the pros, Washington had chosen Dwayne Haskins 15th overall in 2019. That tied Ron Rivera and Co. to the best non-QB available, which led to a Chase Young investment.

As another new regime takes over in Washington, the decks are clear for a quarterback. Dan Quinn effectively confirmed the team would leave this draft with one, and while the new HC did not guarantee that player would be chosen at No. 2, the Commanders have a clear opportunity — in what is believed to be a strong QB draft — to select their next starter without giving up assets to do so. The question that will form this draft’s path comes next.

Which signal-caller should the Commanders choose? Washington has been connected to three arms with the No. 2 choice. With a Caleb Williams–Kliff Kingsbury reunion obviously appealing to the NFC East team, that is almost definitely not an option. With the Bears all but set to start the draft with the USC standout, the Commanders have other options worthy of the No. 2 slot. Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and the fast-rising J.J. McCarthy have been tied to Washington. Barring something unexpected, one of them will be the team’s long-term QB hopeful.

Maye came into last season near Williams’ level, but after a statistical step backward in 2023, the North Carolina-developed talent has generated questions. Suddenly, Maye appears a high-variance prospect. Still, Sam Howell‘s Tar Heels QB1 successor dazzled as a redshirt freshman, throwing 38 touchdown passes to seven interceptions. Maye accounted for 5,019 yards (698 rushing) in 14 games in 2022. While less prolific last year (24 TDs, nine INTs, 4,057 total yards — in 12 games), the 6-foot-4, 223-pound prospect still brings plus arm strength and upside. At 21, he is also more than two years younger than the other QB most frequently mocked to the Commanders.

Daniels, who will turn 24 before year’s end, dominated as a senior to rise up prospect rankings lists. The Arizona State transfer accounted for 4,946 yards (1,134 rushing) and finished with a 40-4 TD-INT ratio in his second and final LSU season. Daniels’ frame is a slight concern, as he weighed 210 pounds at the Combine. His playing weight may well check in south of that number. Daniels played five college seasons, capitalizing on his COVID year. Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board places Daniels second, while Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL.com rankings tab him sixth. Maye checks in sixth and fifth on those lists, respectively, adding intrigue to this Commanders call.

Prior to his Heisman offering, Daniels was not expected to be an early-first-round pick. But McCarthy made a more surprising rise. Even in the days following Michigan’s national championship win, McCarthy was viewed as maybe a mid-first-round choice. That no longer looks possible. Despite not posting numbers that rivaled Maye’s or Daniels’ offerings, the national championship-winning QB wowed evaluators at his pro day. To go along with his accuracy in a pro-like system under Jim Harbaugh, McCarthy now seems likely to be a top-six pick.

Many mocks have the 21-year-old prospect rising to the No. 4 spot via trade. A player without a 3,000-yard passing season going that high would be quite rare, though McCarthy exited several games early last year due to Wolverines dominance. He also finished his two-year starter run with a 44-9 TD-INT ratio.

McCarthy surfaced as a candidate to go No. 2 overall last month, and a recent report lent support to the Michigan product’s rise reaching this point. Neither Kiper nor Jeremiah have placed that as likely yet, though their mocks disagree on the Maye-Daniels debate. The Commanders joined the Patriots in having the largest contingent at Maye’s pro day, while Daniels is coming to Washington for a “30” visit. As of late March, Daniels was believed to be in pole position to go second to Washington, and a recent poll of NFL executives revealed a 3-2 edge to the LSU alum in the Daniels-or-May debate. Several teams will obviously have vested interests in how the Commanders proceed, with the draft taking shape based on which direction the NFC East team goes.

Washington is rebuilding. They could stockpile considerable draft capital — likely two future first-round picks — by trading down. This would likely not apply to the Giants, as they would almost definitely need to find a different gateway into the top four, but a big offer could prompt a meeting. But the Commanders have a clear path to a top QB prospect now. Waiting could introduce future hurdles into their QB equation, one that has not been stable since Kirk Cousins‘ two-franchise tag exit. And even that brought numerous headlines due to the contractual breakdown.

How will Washington proceed at 2? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this pivotal decision in the comments section.

Who will the Commanders select at No. 2 overall?

Jayden Daniels 52.04% (1,376 votes)

Drake Maye 28.25% (747 votes)

J.J. McCarthy 9.38% (248 votes)

They will trade down 7.56% (200 votes)

Another QB 1.44% (38 votes)

A non-quarterback 1.32% (35 votes)

Total Votes: 2,644

Latest On Commanders’ No. 2 Pick, Giants-Jayden Daniels Connection

April 7th, 2024 at 10:45am CST by Rory Parks

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is seemingly a lock to be drafted by the Bears with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Although most prognosticators believe the next three players off the board will be quarterbacks, it is less clear who those quarterbacks will be, and which teams will be selecting them.

Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post recently suggested that the Commanders, owners of the No. 2 overall pick, will select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, whose draft stock has soared thanks in no small part to an excellent pro day performance. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (subscription required) says that, of the seven team executives, coaches, and scouts that the publication recently polled, three of them believed Washington would select LSU’s Jayden Daniels, two believed UNC’s Drake Maye would be the pick, and one said it would be McCarthy (the final executive said a trade-down maneuver would be the Commanders’ best bet).

The opinion of that cheeky non-conformist notwithstanding, it would be surprising if the Commanders traded down or picked a non-QB with the No. 2 selection. But if Washington opts for a player other than Daniels, then the Giants could suddenly become a team to watch, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes.

In possession of the No. 6 overall pick, Big Blue has been doing its due diligence on this year’s top collegiate passers and scheduled “30” visits with each of Maye, McCarthy, and Daniels. According to Raanan, Daniels is particularly well-regarded within the organization, and sources close to GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll believe the reigning Heisman Trophy winner would be an “ideal fit” in the Giants’ offense.

That said, New York would almost certainly need to trade up to land Daniels, and the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick likely represents the highest choice that could be available via trade. It appears that New England is prepared to stay put and select a QB of its own, though a trade could still be on the table if the right offer comes along. The problem is that the Giants have just six picks in the 2024 draft and a great number of roster holes, so efforts to jump up the draft board could be cost-prohibitive.

While owner John Mara has consistently endorsed incumbent QB1 Daniel Jones — who is on track to be back from his ACL tear by training camp — Mara has also given Schoen the green light to select a quarterback with the Giants’ top choice. Schoen is no stranger to trading up the board, and the team has been connected to such a move for at least a month. Regardless of the overall strength of a roster, there is almost no price too steep to pay for a franchise quarterback, particularly since Jones has generally failed to impress during his pro career and since the 2025 class of signal-callers is generally considered to be a weak one.

In the above-referenced piece, La Canfora says the Giants are actually higher on McCarthy than any other non-Williams quarterback, a sentiment that Raanan apparently does not share. Raanan does say the team has interest in McCarthy, but he suggests that such interest would be at its zenith if the former Wolverine should fall to the No. 6 pick. In other words, the ESPN scribe seems to believe that while Schoen would contemplate a trade up to land Daniels, he may not sacrifice additional draft capital to acquire McCarthy.

One way or another, as Howe succinctly puts it, “there’s more mystery surrounding the 2024 quarterback class than there’s ever been.”

NFL Draft Rumors: Cowboys, McCarthy, Robinson

April 6th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys hosted a number of 2024 NFL Draft prospects for “top 30” visits this week. The visiting group included potential first-round targets like Taliese Fuaga, Graham Barton, and Darius Robinson as well as projected Day 2 selection Junior Colson.

Fuaga, an offensive tackle out of Oregon State, and Barton, a projected interior offensive lineman out of Duke, make sense considering the Cowboys’ losses on offensive line this offseason of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. If Fuaga is able to start, this would allow Dallas to keep Tyler Smith at guard, where he earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023. In order to land Fuaga, though, the Cowboys would likely have to trade up earlier into the first round. Barton played left tackle for the Blue Devils for the last couple of years, but his early college film at center shows the versatility that he could bring at the NFL level.

Robinson, a defensive end out of Missouri, feels like the typical Cowboys pass rusher selection and adds depth to a position that saw Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler follow former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Washington. A bigger defensive end, Robinson could provide some versatility across the defensive line and may be available long enough for the Cowboys to trade back to collect some extra picks and still select him. Colson, a linebacker out of Michigan, would be a nice addition to a position that could use some attention with Micah Parsons spending more time at end. While he’s likely a second- or third-round pick, he’s worth note as he’s expected to be the first linebacker off the board.

Here are a couple of other rumors making the rounds in the weeks leading up to this month’s draft:

We have seen the draft stock of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy soaring over the last few weeks. Once considered a tier-two quarterback behind Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels, the polarizing McCarthy has somehow found himself in consideration for the No. 2 overall draft selection. While his stock continues to inflate, Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan pointed out some of the red flags that have some scouts feeling less than confident about the former Wolverine. McCarthy has been compared to former Steelers’ first-round pick Kenny Pickett “due to his inability to drive the ball down the field.” His strong sense of timing made up for a lack of arm strength in college, but some worry that it will prevent him from being able to make some throws at the NFL level. While he’s almost guaranteed to be a first-round pick due to the top-heavy nature of the position this year, many don’t have a first-round grade on McCarthy.
Chop Robinson is set to be the next pass rusher out of Penn State to be selected in the first round. The projected Day 1 edge rusher had already taken visits with the Eagles, Ravens, and Saints, but Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz informs us that visits with the Giants and Jets were scheduled for this past week, as well. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 adds that the Texans have Robinson firmly on their radar after meeting with him at the NFL scouting combine.

Patriots To Host QBs Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy

April 5th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Ely Allen

The holders of the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Patriots have been doing their homework to determine who they will bring in from the college ranks. With former starting quarterback Mac Jones getting traded to the Jaguars, the focus has been on quarterbacks. After hosting North Carolina passer Drake Maye today, New England made sure to schedule visits with two of the draft’s other top quarterbacks, as well, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Breer tells us that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will be the first to follow Maye with a visit immediately after the weekend. Daniels will be in town on Monday for dinner before taking his “30” visit the following day at Gillette Stadium. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be the third quarterback to take a visit, scheduling his trip for the week after Daniels’ visit.

With the third pick of the draft, and Caleb Williams being nearly cemented into the No. 1 overall pick, the Patriots are virtually guaranteed that at least two of the above visitors will be available when it’s their turn to pick. So, in theory, if the team decides following these visits that they would be happy drafting any two of the visiting quarterbacks, that’s all the research they would need to do. There’s no harm in doing as much research as possible, and there’s always a possibility that the Patriots trade back into the first round after their first pick, so they still may continue to bring in future visitors.

Most mock drafts at this point in time, though, tend to predict quarterbacks being selected with each of the draft’s first four picks. With Williams almost certainly headed to Chicago, New England should have its pick of whomever the Commanders don’t select between Maye, Daniels, and McCarthy.

Any of the three would enter New England with a clear chance at the starting quarterback position. Following Jones’ departure, the Patriots currently roster Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke at quarterback. All three passers provide New England with starting options at the position if their potential rookie pick isn’t ready to take the reins.

Brissett, returning to the team that drafted him for the first time since his rookie season, held his own as a starter during stints with the Colts and Browns. Zappe has started eight games in replacement of Jones over his first two seasons. Rourke has starting experience from his standout season in the Canadian Football League but has yet to make his debut in the NFL.

Regardless, the first opportunity to start will likely go to whomever the team drafts at No. 3 overall, assuming of course that that player is a quarterback. Yesterday’s visit with Maye, in conjunction with the upcoming visits with Daniels and McCarthy, should give New England the perfect opportunity to decide the order of preference for the three, in hopes that their top option will be available after picks by Chicago and Washington.

Latest On 2024 First-Round Quarterbacks

April 3rd, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Ely Allen

In a recent article for The Washington Post, NFL insider and analyst Jason La Canfora provided his projection for how the first-round quarterbacks may play out in this year’s draft. After the seemingly obvious prediction of USC quarterback Caleb Williams to Chicago, La Canfora declared a somewhat more surprising projection: national championship-winning Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy going second overall to the Commanders.

The first reasoning that La Canfora points to is the betting markets. Though betting odds are fickle and often change at the slightest whims, they can quite often predict the likeliest outcome, and right now, McCarthy’s odds of getting picked right after Williams are skyrocketing. Secondarily, La Canfora points to an evaluator who compared McCarthy to “another (Brock) Purdy.”

New Commanders general manager Adam Peters comes from the 49ers front office that selected Purdy as the last pick of the draft two years ago. If McCarthy is demonstrating the attributes that drew Peters and company to Purdy, that also helps the Michigan passer’s chances of heading to Washington. Unfortunately, that same brain trust in San Francisco was responsible for the trade to move up for Trey Lance, so Peters’ history with picking quarterbacks may be hit or miss.

La Canfora also claims that the Giants are highest on McCarthy over the other remaining quarterbacks after Williams is drafted, but if he goes to the Commanders, as La Canfora predicts, New York will have to settle for another option: LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.

La Canfora doesn’t take it as fact that Daniels is headed to New York, though. He reports that the Raiders, who currently hold the 13th overall pick of the first round, “badly want to move up” to land Daniels. This rumor makes a ton of sense when you consider that Las Vegas’ head coach Antonio Pierce got an up-close look at Daniels when the two were together at Arizona State for several years. The team isn’t very well-positioned to make the move, but according to two general managers in the league, the Raiders are making the effort, nonetheless.

Aside from those two bigger predictions, La Canfora’s projection is fairly in-line with what we’ve been seeing. He predicts that the first four picks will be quarterbacks (Williams to Chicago, McCarthy to Washington, Daniels to New York, and North Carolina passer Drake Maye to Minnesota [via trade]), he sees the Raiders settling for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. if they can’t trade up, and he sees Oregon quarterback Bo Nix becoming the fifth first-round quarterback of the draft thanks to the Ravens trading down so that the Broncos can select him 30th overall.

This all continues a wild runup to what is certainly shaping up to be an unpredictable 2024 NFL Draft. A top-heavy quarterback draft class has provided pundits and analysts alike with myriad predictions for how everything will play out. With a little over three weeks until the all-important date, the sequence of events following the No. 1 overall pick is unclear as ever.

Latest On Giants, QB J.J. McCarthy

March 29th, 2024 at 10:07am CST by Sam Robinson

A fast-rising prospect — or so it would seem during this year’s pre-draft process — J.J. McCarthy may not be available by the time the Giants go on the clock at No. 6. The team has explored a trade-up, which may be necessary if it is serious about acquiring a Daniel Jones replacement this year.

The Giants will head into the draft with a pivotal decision. Jones is under contract through 2026, but his guarantees wrap after the 2024 campaign. With this New York regime not having drafted Jones, an opportunity could be in place to grab its own passer and begin building around him. Many around the NFL believe the Giants’ QB target would be McCarthy, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes.

Giants-McCarthy connections emerged in early March, and in the weeks since, the Michigan prospect has become a likely top-10 pick. The Vikings have since obtained a second first-round pick, and the team is almost definitely looking to package its two first-rounders (Nos. 11 and 27) to climb up for a passer. That package could put Minnesota in position to leapfrog the Giants, with both the Cardinals and Chargers — who already employ Pro Bowl quarterbacks — being linked to moving down. As a result of the Vikings’ move, the Giants may need to be prepared to trade up as well.

The Giants have already hosted McCarthy on a “30” visit; they are set to observe a private workout Sunday. New York is also doing extensive homework on Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. The latter will visit the Big Apple soon. Maye has already visited the Giants, and the ex-North Carolina passer is also set to work out for the team soon. While Maye has been a fixture near the top of draft boards, he has also been docked a bit during the pre-draft process. Maye’s second season as the Tar Heels’ starter did not measure up to his first, and ESPN.com’s Matt Miller adds multiple teams view McCarthy as a better prospect. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN.com big board ranks Maye seventh and McCarthy 14th.

This is, of course, smokescreen season. Recent Giants drafts can reveal misdirection as well; in 2022, strong Giants connections to Charles Cross came about, but the team chose Evan Neal. But the Giants will not have their pick of the top QBs in this draft. The Commanders continue to be connected to Daniels at No. 2, but a recent report also tied them to McCarthy. Considering McCarthy’s profile and less prolific college career, it would be surprising if he went in front of Daniels or Maye. But he impressed at the Wolverines’ pro day; buzz about this draft now including four high-end QB prospects has since began to circulate.

John Mara has endorsed Jones consistently, and the current New York starter is on track to be back from his ACL tear by training camp. But the Giants can escape the widely criticized four-year, $160MM contract by taking on modest dead money in 2025. Mara also OK’d a Giants first-round QB, and the Joe Schoen-led front office informed the owner this draft features the best QB crop in “a long time,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan adds. That would raise the stakes for the Giants, who will need to weigh this year’s QB class against the 2025 group and against a future with one of this year’s impact wide receivers.

The Giants could leave this draft with a new WR1 in place around Jones — who has not exactly been given good wideout situations during his career — without trading up, but QB connections persist. With teams like the Broncos and Raiders also tied to potential trade-ups for passers, the Giants are a key team to monitor ahead of the draft.

QBs Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy To Work Out For Giants

March 28th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pro Days are continuing around the country this week, and the Giants are one of many teams with a large contingent attending Washington’s today. While that will entail evaluations of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (among many others), the team still has Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy on its radar.

The former will conduct a private workout with the Giants in the coming days, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Head coach Brian Daboll is one of the Giants’ evaluators at the Huskies Pro Day, but the team will no doubt regroup by the time Maye joins them. McCarthy, meanwhile, will be watched by New York during a private throwing session on Sunday, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

A report from last week indicated both passers already held a ’30’ visit with the Giants. As such, it comes as no surprise the team will take a longer look at them. Set to select sixth overall, New York is in an interesting position given the potential to add a long-term Daniel Jones replacement on one hand and a true No. 1 receiver on the other. Jones is in place atop a QB depth chart which also includes Drew Lock for the 2024 campaign, but the position is unsettled beyond that.

Jones’ injury history has given New York pause about keeping him as a starter through the duration of his four-year, $160MM deal signed last offseason. Owner John Mara is on board with selecting a quarterback sixth overall (or potentially higher, if the team moves up the board slightly). A trade down is also a possibility, of course, but that would leave the team out of range of the top signal-callers.

Maye and McCarthy are the focus of many teams these days, with Caleb Williams being the only presumed sure thing at the top of the board at this point. Chicago is on track to select the 2022 Heisman winner first overall, but there is plenty of uncertainty with respect to whom the Commanders and Patriots will add. The Cardinals and Chargers are not in need of a quarterback, something which would limit the Giants’ wide receiver options if they were to retain the fourth and fifth slots, respectively.

Both Arizona and Los Angeles are open to trading down, though, and teams like the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders have been connected to an aggressive move in search of a passer. New York remains at the heart of the QB evaluation for now, as the team continues to do its due diligence at the position.

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