J.J. McCarthy Declares for 2024 NFL Draft After Michigan's CFP Win with Jim Harbaugh

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy declared for the 2024 NFL draft after a season in which the Wolverines won their first national championship since 1997.

McCarthy had one more year of eligibility remaining but was widely expected to move on after making a case to be considered the third-best QB in the 2024 class behind USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye. He's the No. 99 overall player and seventh-best quarterback on Bleacher Report's big board.

During McCarthy's two years as a starter, Michigan leaned heavily on the rushing tandem of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. The Wolverines also won their 13 regular-season games by an average of 27 points, which meant head coach Jim Harbaugh could often call off the dogs in the second half.

Those two factors combined to curb McCarthy's production a bit. He threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023. Michigan's two biggest wins during the regular season weren't exactly great showcases as he combined to go 23-of-28 for 208 yards and one touchdown against Penn State and Ohio State. His showing in the Wolverines' national championship victory over Washington was rather nondescript too as he finished with 140 yards on 18 attempts.

McCarthy's efficiency stood out, though, and inevitably got noticed by NFL scouts. His completion percentage rose from 64.6 to 72.3, and he finished ninth in passer rating (167.4).

ESPN's Matt Miller wrote in December that McCarthy "is loved by scouts who have studied his game and have seen the junior passer throw in person." He cited one scout who described the 6'3" signal-caller as "an athletic Kirk Cousins."

Therein lies the rub with McCarthy.

Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler who has provided a steady baseline from year to year, at least before tearing his Achilles this season. The Minnesota Vikings learned the hard way, though, that he isn't the kind of quarterback who necessarily raises his team's ceiling.

A quarterback with Cousins' résumé is worthy of a first-round pick because his consistency goes a long way. If you're talking top-10 territory, though, that might be a bridge too far because that's typically where you're hoping to land a true franchise cornerstone who can put a team on his back.

Of course, it's possible fans haven't seen the best of McCarthy. Perhaps he'll thrive in a more pass-heavy offense, particularly one in which he gets to make the most of his mobility.

"McCarthy's an eyes-up scrambler, though. If he leaves the pocket to run, he remains loaded to throw at just about any angle," Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic wrote in October. "His acceleration allows him to start-stop his way around front-level defenders with ease, which gives receivers time to run themselves open on deeper routes or find new space via freelance."

Every draft cycle there's at least one quarterback who turns heads at the NFL Scouting Combine and his team's pro day to catapult up the board.

Overtaking Williams or Maye will be tough. By the time April rolls around, McCarthy may have at least won over his skeptics enough to cement himself as a top-10 prospect.