The Las Vegas Raiders are in the market for a quarterback but may need to look past the top three options if they hope to add one. Former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is widely considered the fourth-best quarterback prospect in the draft and could very much be a player that Las Vegas is keeping an eye on.
According to the quarterback, he met with the Raiders at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and he’s fired up about the chance of playing in Las Vegas.
“It went really well,” McCarthy said during his March 1 press conference. “I loved all the coaches; great energy, great questions, great interaction. It would mean a lot to play with those guys, but it would mean a lot to play with any one of the great players in the NFL, but it was awesome.”
JJ McCarthy on his meeting with the Raiders
McCarthy was also really impressed with head coach Antonio Pierce.
“Amazing dude,” McCarthy said. “He asked so many great questions, definitely somebody I could see myself playing for.”
JJ McCarthy could “definitely” see himself playing for Antonio Pierce
Pierce has built a reputation as a players’ coach and that’s clearly resonating with the rookie prospects. McCarthy said that he’d be happy playing anywhere but he did seem particularly excited about the idea of playing for Pierce. He’s a player to watch for the Raiders heading into the draft.
J.J. McCarthy May Be QB3
J.J. McCarthy is becoming one of the most interesting players in the 2024 NFL Draft. NFL teams appear to be more excited about him than the NFL media. He’s tall at 6-foot-2, athletic and has a very good arm. He didn’t do a lot at Michigan but he has the potential to be a good NFL starter.
According to Ben Solak of The Ringer, McCarthy may have surpassed LSU’s Jayden Daniels as the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the draft.
“It is smoke-screen season, and I very well may be getting hooked by it,” Solak wrote in a March 4 column. “But in Indianapolis, I heard significantly more interest and excitement for how high Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy might go relative to how high LSU QB Jayden Daniels might go.
“My sense is that Daniels is not locked into an early draft slot and that the league has turned its attention elsewhere. McCarthy is a strong candidate to go before Daniels in April.”
It would be a massive surprise to see McCarthy get drafted before Daniels but it’s looking like it could at least be a possibility.
Las Vegas Raiders Will Need to Trade up for J.J. McCarthy
When the season first ended, it seemed like J.J. McCarthy would be available to the Raiders when they picked at No. 13. However, it’s looking more and more likely that the team will need to trade up if they want the quarterback.
The Raiders would at least need to leapfrog the Minnesota Vikings at No. 11 and the Denver Broncos at No. 12 as both teams have needs at quarterback. It’s possible the team will need to move up even higher if McCarthy is the guy but they also like Jayden Daniels and would be happy if he were to fall. Regardless, the Raiders don’t have an easy path to getting a top quarterback this year.
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Star QB Could See Himself Playing for Raiders HC Antonio Pierce