Latest Patriots draft rumor suggests a huge shock bubbling up in the building

The last time the New England Patriots selected a Michigan quarterback in the NFL Draft, it wound up being the greatest pick in NFL history. In 21 full seasons, that quarterback, Tom Brady, was more likely to reach the Super Bowl (48 percent) than Steph Curry is to drain a 3-pointer (42.5 percent).

After experiments with veteran quarterback Cam Newton and Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, New England is expected to draft a quarterback. The Patriots may consider returning to the Michigan pipeline to find their next franchise quarterback in 2024, Sportkeeda's Tony Pauline told NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran.

Patriots may draft Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy

Pauline claims that general managers across the league told him that Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf "is in love with J.J. McCarthy," and Wolf "is pushing for" McCarthy to be the team's first-round pick.

“What I heard from other general managers — not from the Patriots — but other general managers, is that Eliot Wolf, the de facto general manager of the Patriots, is in love with J.J. McCarthy,” Pauline said. “And right now the feeling is that J.J. McCarthy — or at least Eliot Wolf is pushing for J.J. McCarthy ... to be the pick.”

The Patriots currently hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is the highest the team has ever selected under the ownership of Robert Kraft. McCarthy, who led the Wolverines to a national championship, went from being a fringe first-round prospect to a potential top-five prospect in the past few months.

It's a difficult time of year for draft enthusiasts. At this point, nobody wants to read about how the Chicago Bears are going to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top overall pick, or how the Washington Commanders and Patriots will scoop up LSU's Jayden McDaniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye with the subsequent picks. Apparently, nobody wants to write about it either.

Sometimes, creativity begins to blur the truth. Other times, teams and agents leak false rumors as smoke and mirrors. It's hard to know whether there's any truth to the reports, but New England isn't the first team that has reportedly fallen in love with McCarthy.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton reportedly fell in love with McCarthy. Washington may also consider selecting McCarthy with the second-overall pick, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.

McCarthy finished the season with 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. The 21-year-old operated a run-centric offensive system under head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. The offense limited him to an average of 22.1 pass attempts per game. Despite the somewhat limited sample size, McCarthy displayed the ability to make the routine throws that he'll be asked to make in high-pressure situations in the NFL.

McCarthy may not have the on-field sample size to warrant a top-five pick, but his intangibles and leadership skills have proven worthy of a high selection.

“Let me tell you, when I first started watching these guys, it was that three-man race,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters. “And now, as you continue to go to these Pro Days, bringing guys in on their 30 visits, and having time to spend with those guys to really get to know what makes them tick, there’s about five guys, honestly, that could come in and be a solid quarterback in the future.”

“I think it’s a really good year for quarterbacks,” Wolf said. "We have to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and determine what’s best for the team. We have to determine who can handle being the quarterback of the New England Patriots.”

Is there any interest in the Patriots interest in McCarthy? Nobody will know the truth until the 2024 NFL Draft begins on April 25, but it's hard to trust anything at this point in the draft cycle.