Obviously, all the buzz heading into NFL mock draft season is all about the quarterbacks.
Some mocks have three QBs taken in the first round. Some have USC’s Caleb Williams dropping out of the top five. And others have a bunch of quarterbacks in the first 32 picks.
In our latest NFL mock draft from Christian D’Andrea, there were just two with Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
The latest mock draft from ESPN’s Matt Miller has Williams No. 1 to the Bears, Maybe going No. 2 to the Patriots, then Heisman winner Jayden Daniels to the Giants fourth and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to the Raiders at No. 7. Why him? Miller explains:
Could the Raiders roll with Aidan O’Connell in 2024? Sure, but all signs right now point to them starting over at quarterback with a new regime in place, even after signing Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2023 offseason. McCarthy is instinctive, efficient and effective as a second-effort creator outside of the pocket. The Michigan scheme does him no favors in terms of statistics, but NFL scouts continue to tell me that McCarthy will be drafted earlier than expected.
With Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) expected to return to college for the 2024 season, McCarthy is the lone first-round-caliber passer remaining on my board. And if things play out this way, this would be the quickest that four QBs have come off the board in the common draft era (since 1967), per ESPN Stats & Information.
There you have it. Make sure to check out Christian D’Andrea’s latest NFL mock draft!