Michigan football had nine players selected in the 2023 NFL draft. The Wolverines had Mazi Smith go in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys and four players go in the first three rounds.
NFL draft experts are looking way ahead, and they are starting to scout — and guess — which prospects will enter the 2024 NFL draft. We are still months away from the college football season, let alone next year’s draft, but, hey, it’s what they do.
Todd McShay came out with a first-round mock draft for the 2024 NFL draft ($). The ESPN draft analyst has something happening for the first time since 1985: a Michigan quarterback going in the first round. Jim Harbaugh was the last Wolverine signal-caller to go in the first round, and McShay has the Minnesota Vikings selecting J.J. McCarthy with the 20th pick in his mock draft.
“I thought about Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. here, too, but I ultimately went with McCarthy, who threw for 22 TDs and five interceptions last season in Michigan,” McShay wrote. “There are a handful of passers who could rise into Round 1 — Penix, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Texas’ Quinn Ewers to name a few — but McCarthy is intriguing because of his 6-foot-3 frame, running ability, accuracy and arm talent.”
“In Minnesota, Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his deal, and the team could move on,” McShay pointed out. “Despite winning 13 games last season, the Vikings were outside the top 20 in QBR (49.9). McCarthy could be the future for a team like Minnesota if he takes the next step in 2023.”
McShay had just three quarterbacks being taken in the first round: USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and McCarthy. McCarthy was the only Michigan player McShay had going in the first round.
McCarthy is looking to build on his sophomore campaign which was the first year he started. He threw for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 64.6% of his passes.
If the former five-star recruit leads Michigan to another Big Ten title or a College Football Playoff birth, the Wolverines could be looking for a new starting quarterback in 2024.
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