JJ McCarthy will spend Easter Sunday working out with several New York Giants coaches, with the 2024 NFL Draft less than a month away.
McCarthy won the National Championship with Michigan in January and has been hyped up by former coach Jim Harbaugh, who has since been hired by the Los Angeles Chargers. Some fans believe that this could be a smokescreen ploy by Harbaugh as the Chargers hold the No. 5 pick and are eyeing top non-quarterback options due to already having Justin Herbert.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to go first overall and join the Chicago Bears, but McCarthy has since jumped ahead of LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye in the majority of mock drafts. But that hasn’t stopped the Giants from assessing McCarthy over Easter, according to The New York Daily News.
The Giants are in a difficult position, as they handed starting quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason, but doubts are starting to creep in after an injury-ridden season in 2023. The Giants also signed Drew Lock to serve as Jones’ backup, but should coaches be impressed they could plan to select McCarthy in the draft.
There are no guarantees that McCarthy will fall to No. 6, with the Washington Commanders (No. 2) and the New England Patriots (No. 3) looking for quarterback options. Should Maye and Daniels get selected before McCarthy there is also no guarantee that the Giants will avoid picks four and five.
The Arizona Cardinals occupy the No. 4 pick with the Chargers after them, but other teams could trade up as both teams do not need a new quarterback. The Cardinals have just got Kyler Murray back fit, and Herbert is seen as the future of the Chargers franchise.
Jones is recovering from a torn ACL, and it’s yet to be seen if he’s the same athlete as he was in early 2023 when the Giants prioritized a new deal for him over running back Saquon Barkley. They signed Jones and applied the franchise tag to Barkley, a player who has now left the organization for arch-rivals Philadelphia Eagles.
