Mel Kiper Jr. Thinks J.J. McCarthy Will Be QB4 in 2024 NFL Draft Ahead of Penix, Nix

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. believes that former Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy could go higher in the 2024 NFL Draft than fellow quarterbacks such as Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix.

"He's gonna be, I think, the fourth quarterback off the board," Kiper Jr. said on Monday's First Draft (41:33 mark). "Ahead of Michael Penix Jr., ahead of Bo Nix. That's just my opinion right now in real time, Field. That can change between now and late April. For right now, I think he's the fourth guy."

However, it doesn't appear likely that McCarthy will go any higher than fourth among his fellow quarterback prospects. In the latest mock draft by Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and former North Carolina passer Drake Maye were both selected with the top two picks. LSU's Jayden Daniels was drafted shortly after, going to the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 11 pick in the mock.

It seems as though Kiper Jr. is willing to put McCarthy over Penix Jr. and Nix, though. Although the Washington passer and the Oregon quarterback both put up gaudy numbers in their respective 2023 campaigns, age could be a factor in their upside in the NFL.

Nix and Penix Jr. will both be 24 years old at the start of the 2024 season, while McCarthy will be 21. The Michigan signal-caller was given a modest 7.3 grade by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen, although he wasn't impressed with the quarterback's ability to make off-script plays.

"He did fairly well with the pre-snap indicators Michigan's offense gave him, but when asked to progress and throw later in the down, McCarthy is very inconsistent both in terms of decision-making and accuracy," Klassen wrote.