The Denver Broncos will own the 12th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and one of the quarterback prospects they are eyeing on is Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
According to 9News Denver’s Mike Klis, the Broncos are going to be holding formal interviews with quarterbacks McCarthy, Bo Nix (Oregon), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Michael Pratt (Tulane), and others at the NFL scouting combine.
Head coach Sean Payton is going to want his guy for a while at the quarterback position. The Broncos do not plan on bringing back Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback next season.
Denver has not been a playoff team since winning Super Bowl L against the Carolina Panthers.
It has been nearly a decade since they have been in the playoffs. Denver is going to do their due diligence on all of these players and Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will have to be in lockstep throughout this entire process.
J.J. McCarthy helped Michigan win a National Title last season in college football. He completed 72.3% of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. McCarthy also rushed for 202 yards on 64 carries and three touchdowns, along with averaging 3.2 yards per carry.
There have been a lot of critics about his game from the outside whether or not he can make the throws at the NFL level. Scouts love his game and think he will be a first-round pick.
The Denver Broncos Can Very Well Select J.J. McCarthy 12th Overall in the 2024 NFL Draft
There is no doubt that Drake Maye (North Carolina), Caleb Williams (USC), and Jayden Daniels (LSU) are the top three quarterbacks in this draft and they will all go in the Top 10. Would McCarthy go over any of them if he wowed anyone during the NFL scouting combine?
That would be fascinating to see since Denver is not interviewing any of the top three quarterbacks. They think that he would be available to them at number 12 and wouldn’t have to make a move for him. Even if another team did reach, the odds are that Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix would still be there at 12 and they would take them instead.
The Broncos want to do everything possible they wind up with J.J. McCarthy on there team for next season and beyond. He is only 21 years old and people feel like he has a lot of potential, but not everyone pans out.
Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton is “enamored” with JJ McCarthy, per league source.
The #Broncos are in desperate need of QB help given Russell Wilson’s imminent departure, and Payton will “beg, borrow, and steal to get exactly what he wants” at QB 😳
Denver holds the 12th pick… pic.twitter.com/T4FThfDG1J
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 28, 2024
jj mccarthy starting week 1 for the broncos pic.twitter.com/idiVTjt9YF
— KJ (@McKinnonBetter) February 22, 2024
Albert Breer on Rich Eisen Show saying Denver Broncos need a “reset” at QB.
Specifically mentions number 9 JJ McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/zUqRVQMMl6
— 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧 (@CameronParkerPO) February 27, 2024
If Denver feels the need to trade up in the NFL Draft to secure McCarthy, it would most likely either be with the Atlanta Falcons at number eight or the Minnesota Vikings at number 11. The Denver Broncos won’t be the only team that may fall in love with J.J. McCarthy after this.