Professional comparisons for top-6 QBs in 2024 NFL Draft class

QB4: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy -> 49ers QB Brock Purdy

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the one to keep an eye on. Should he stay or should he go now? The former five-star out of Chicagoland could go as high as in the top 10 this year, or could potentially come off the board in the 20s. He is only a true junior, but has already done a better job of winning more prolifically than any of his other potential draft classmates. What is he going to do?

If McCarthy were to turn pro, I liken him to Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers. He is a guy with quite a lot of talent, but clearly benefits from great coaching. Purdy may have been Mr. Irrelevant coming out, but anyone who saw him play for the Iowa State Cyclones as a sophomore and junior in 2019 and 2020 saw something much better than that. Purdy was a lesser version of McCarthy then.

Of all the quarterbacks coming off the board, I have a feeling that McCarthy can work pretty much anywhere. His hometown Chicago Bears is up in the air, but if his Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh came with him, I would buy more Bears stock than Da Bears guys on Saturday Night Live. From Atlanta, to Las Vegas, to Minnesota, to New England, to Pittsburgh, to Washington, McCarthy works.

I wouldn't take McCarthy any higher than No. 6 overall, but he could be this draft's most successful.