Latest NFL Draft rumor suggests 'multiple teams' like J.J. McCarthy over Drake Maye

With just under a month to go before the 2024 NFL Draft, all eyes are on the quarterbacks, but a rumor has been spreading, and it's quite stunning.

According to ESPN's Matt Miller ($), there is a growing buzz that multiple teams around the NFL have a preference for Michigan QB JJ McCarthy over UNC QB Drake Maye. There was no information regarding McCarthy going above USC's Caleb Williams or LSU's Jayden Daniels.

"One of the most interesting nuggets I've picked up over the past two weeks is that multiple NFL teams have McCarthy ranked ahead of North Carolina's Drake Maye. A high-ranking evaluator I spoke to this week said McCarthy's winning résumé, upside as a mobile QB and impeccable poise under pressure all graded out higher for them than Maye. When under pressure last season, McCarthy completed an FBS-best 68% of his passes and averaged 10 yards per attempt (second-best)."

While some may balk at the idea (likely Ohio State and Michigan State fans), that's not necessarily a hot take. Matter of fact, there could be logical reasoning behind it. Despite playing in a run-heavy system in college, McCarthy made plays when he needed to, including the Rose Bowl against Alabama and the National Championship against Washington.

NFL executives believe JJ McCarthy could be a better QB than Drake Maye

Is there a possibility that JJ McCarthy experiences a situation like Will Levis a year ago where many believe he is a first round prospect but ends up falling to the second round? It could happen. After all, this is the NFL Draft where anything could happen, and if that was to happen, social media would be all over it.

As it pertains to the on-the-field product, Maye has the prototypical size that teams look for in a quarterback and is more of a pocket-passer as opposed to McCarthy who has usually operated as a dual-threat. This doesn't mean Maye can't be a dual-threat, so don't go around running wild with this. Also, McCarthy won a national championship, and that tends to boost the stock.

Ultimately, it comes down to what transpires on draft day. Maybe Drake Maye goes higher, maybe he doesn't. Ultimately, the general managers will make the decision. Rumors often amount to nothing. When the card gets turned in and the name is read aloud, that is when we will finally have the answer to the question. Cue the think music.