The Denver Broncos are in need of a franchise quarterback. Michigan signal caller J.J. Mccarthy is one of the best options available. But are they willing to make a large leap up the board to select him?

The Denver Broncos are in need of a long-term fix at the quarterback position. Jarrett Sitdham and Ben DiNucci are the incumbent signal callers for the 2024 season, but everyone across Broncos Country knows Head Coach Sean Payton’s best bet to get the franchise back on track is finding a quarterback he can mold and develop into a top-tier player.

Denver finds themselves on the outside looking in with respect to their pursuit of a signal caller. It’s expected that the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels fly off the board in the first several, which means the Broncos would have to make a bold move up the board to nab one of the highly touted prospects. Whether or not they choose to be that aggressive remains to be seen, but I have no doubts the team will inquire about a possible move up the board.

But who would they target if those quarterbacks are already off the board? That’s easy—it would be 2023 National Champion J.J. McCarthy. General Manager George Paton and several other Broncos representatives were recently at Michigan’s Pro Day to scout him and a handful of other quality draft eligible prospects from the Wolverines. In order to help forge a winning culture, drafting players from a program that is well-known for its success would be a smart move.

Let’s take a deeper look at McCarthy, his pros and cons, and why the Broncos should consider moving up for him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Player Profile: J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback —Michigan

Height: 6’2-1/2” | Weight: 219 pounds | Arm Length: 31-5/8” | Hand Size: 9”

40-Yard Dash: N/A | 3-Cone: 6.82 seconds | 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.23 seconds

Statistics at Michigan: Two-year starter. 482 completions on 713 attempts, 67.6-percent completion percentage, 6,227 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, QBR of 160.5

Film Room & Highlights

Hart’s Scouting Report

Positives:

• Only 21 years old and one of the draft’s youngest quarterbacks with a ton of untapped potential
• Fierce competitor who plays with a ton of energy and palpable passion
• Consistent winner at the high school and collegiate level
• Experience in a pro-style offense and knows what it’s like to operate under center
• Strong arm capable of making every requisite throw in the National Football League
• Ability to hit tight window throws over the middle of the field and in traffic
• Excels on throws and concepts Payton loves to utilize in his passing game
• Extraordinarily productive on third downs and understands where the ball needs to go in important down-to-down situations
• Operates well both inside and outside of structure and throws very well on the move
• Top-notch athleticism with underrated scrambling/rushing ability

Negatives:

• Occasionally displays a bad habit of dropping his eyes under pressure
• Aforementioned can lead to some bad throws where he doesn’t see linebackers or spy players sitting down in coverage
• Ball placement needs work and he needs to improve on leading his receivers and putting them in better situations to acquire yardage after the catch
• Underwhelming production relative to his peers, but it’s important to note he was pulled early in a lot of Michigan’s games during their championship season
• Though he has a strong arm, he lacks touch on a lot of his passes and as of now is a one-speed thrower—he needs a lot of development in this area
• Can he be the type of prospect who will elevate a team and those around him?

Projection: Top 7 Selection

Why the Denver Broncos should consider drafting McCarthy

I’ve been an advocate for McCarthy for quite some time and I feel that he is one of the best fits for Payton’s offense. When many analysts and pundits had him as a late first-round player, I always felt he had Top 15 potential. Over the recent months, he has catapulted up draft boards, but in reality, he was probably viewed across the league quite highly relative compared to online scouting outlets.

At just 21 years of age, McCarthy isn’t even close to being the sum of all his parts. He is three years younger than the likes of Bo Nix and Michael Penix, Jr.—which is important to keep that in mind during the evaluation process. For McCarthy, it’s not a question of where he is at right now, but the projection of what he can become in a few years. And to that point—I feel he can be a player that can compete with some of the better signal callers in the NFL.

With that in mind, I think it’s highly unlikely the Broncos would be able to pull off a trade that gets them into the Top 5-7 picks. That’s where I presume McCarthy will go, but I wouldn’t have a problem if they were aggressive in doing so. As of now, the Broncos’ biggest competition for him appears to be the Minnesota Vikings who have two-first round selections, as well as the New York Giants who seem willing to move on from Daniel Jones.

Anything can happen in April, and I’ve been firm in my belief that the Broncos would prefer to get their guy at quarterback sooner than later. In a little less than a month, we will find out whether or not Denver feels strongly enough to mortgage future premium picks (and potentially players) to make McCarthy their quarterback of the future.