The Washington Commanders are one of the teams atop the 2024 NFL Draft that many analysts are expecting to pick a quarterback. Currently in the No. 2 spot, they are in a great position to snag their franchise quarterback.
Who the Commanders are looking to target, however, is anyone’s guess. Throughout most of the college football season, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was considered the No. 2 option behind Caleb Williams out of USC.
The Chicago Bears are widely expected to select Williams first overall, giving the Commanders a chance to select the Tar Heel product. But, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels out of LSU has also been talked about as being in the mix for the No. 2 pick.
But, it looks as if another option could potentially be emerging for the Commanders. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Washington is flying a contingent out to Ann Arbor to meet with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The plan is to have dinner on Thursday night before his Pro Day on Friday.
Sources to @BleacherReport: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy visited the #Giants last week, which included dinner with the front office and a tour of the facility.
The #Commanders are flying out to Ann Arbor to have dinner Thursday night with McCarthy the night before his Pro Day, per… pic.twitter.com/7PJv4Z4x2z
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 19, 2024
McCarthy is someone who has evaluations all over the place. That is partly because he wasn’t asked to do much as Michigan other than hand the ball off, as he wasn’t needed to make many big-time throws or lead the team on comebacks using his arm.
There are evaluators and people on NFL teams who think more highly than analysts and fans do, believing he has the tools to be a franchise quarterback at the next level. He is certainly a wild card heading into the draft, as his range is as high as No. 2 to the Commanders to the back end of the first round.
It will be interesting to see what the Commanders do and where McCarthy lands. If he goes earlier than expected, it could open things up for teams looking for non-quarterbacks early in the first round to select a player they didn’t believe would be on the board still.