leading his team to its first national championship in a quarter-century, decided to forego his final season of NCAA eligibility and declare for the draft — knowing his stock will never be higher.
Despite not being regarded as one prior to the season, McCarthy is now generating momentum as a potential first-round pick. Teams picking high in the draft are reportedly interested and are combing through the 20-year-old’s film to determine whether he projects as an NFL starter worthy of being selected on day one of the draft in April.
According to one report this week, McCarthy has already made contact with the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders — both of whom will be picking inside the top 15 of the 2024 draft, and both of whom could easily snap up a quarterback with their first-round pick.
The Giants are selecting sixth overall, which puts them out of range of players like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and potentially Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. But questions persist around New York’s incumbent starter Daniel Jones, who endured through an injury-plagued 2023 season and has three years remaining on his contract.
The Raiders, picking 13th, benched Jimmy Garoppolo midway through the season in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell — who showed promise amidst the inconsistencies. Las Vegas could select another rookie signal-caller if it does not believe O’Connell is a future face of the franchise.
