The 2024 NFL Draft is just around the corner – and JJ McCarthy will be spend Easter Sunday training with the New York Giants.
McCarthy won the National Championship with Michigan in January and has been praised by his former coach Jim Harbaugh, who now works for the Los Angeles Chargers. Yet the Chargers, who have the No.5 pick in the draft, are unlikely to select McCarthy as they already have star quarterback Justin Herbert and must strengthen other departments.
Everyone expects USC quarterback Caleb Williams to be the first pick and join the Chicago Bears, but McCarthy has moved ahead of LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye in most mock drafts. Yet that hasn’t stopped the Giants from checking out McCarthy over Easter, according to The New York Daily News.
The Giants are in a tricky spot. They gave starting quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160million (£126.7m) extension last offseason, but after a campaign full of injuries in 2023, fans are starting to have doubts about Jones.
The Giants also signed Drew Lock to be Jones’ backup, but if the coaches like what they see, they might choose McCarthy in the draft if they get the chance. There’s no certainty that McCarthy will be available at No.6, with the Washington Commanders (No.2 pick) and the New England Patriots (No.3 pick) also on the hunt for quarterback options.
Yet if Maye and Daniels are picked before McCarthy, the Giants may try to trade up the draft. The Arizona Cardinals have the No.4 pick, followed by the Chargers, but other teams could trade up as both these teams don’t need a new quarterback.
The Cardinals have Kyler Murray back in shape, and Herbert is seen as the future of the Chargers franchise. Jones is recovering from a torn ACL, and it’s still unknown if he’ll be the same player he was in early 2023 when the Giants chose to give him a new deal over running back Saquon Barkley. They signed Jones and put the franchise tag on Barkley, who has now left the team for their arch-rivals the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2022, the Giants had an impressive playoff run, with a regular season record of 9-7 and reaching the Divisional Round before being stopped by the Eagles. However, they were brought back down to earth in 2023, finishing 6-11, and have started planning to rebuild.
