Analyst discusses Giants' links to J.J. McCarthy

Much has been made about the New York Giants possibly moving up from the sixth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to grab Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. 

Per Ed Valentine of Big Blue View and Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, well-respected NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah explained during his latest media call that he doesn't believe the Giants would even take McCarthy at No. 6. 

"In terms of him going, the Vikings are the team that’s connected to him, and then you have the Denver Broncos," Jeremiah said about McCarthy. 

Minnesota currently holds the draft's 11th pick, while the Broncos are at No. 12. It's believed Denver could make a "pretty aggressive" move for a signal-caller depending on what happens on the night of April 25. 

The Chicago Bears seemingly have USC star Caleb Williams penciled in as the first pick of the draft. It's unknown if the Washington Commanders will take McCarthy, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels or North Carolina signal-caller Drake Maye at No. 2. The New England Patriots are widely expected to grab one of the available top-tier quarterback prospects via the third pick, and many assume it will be either McCarthy or Maye who falls to No. 4. 

According to Gio Rivera of NESN, Jeremiah added during the call that he'd "be shocked" if McCarthy got past the Broncos at the 12th pick. 

"It’s a difficult evaluation because you can see him do everything you want him to do or you need a big-time quarterback to do, it’s just the numbers in terms of the volume is not there," Jeremiah said about forecasting McCarthy's draft stock. "You’ve got somebody that, if you look at him from a size standpoint, he’s put on like 15 pounds in the last year. I think he’s still growing into his body. He’s going to be a bigger guy. Everybody that was at the pro days that I talked to said he threw it as well or better than any of the top quarterbacks." 

More and more in-the-know individuals sound convinced that the Giants will stay at pick No. 6 and choose the best player on their draft board who allegedly won't be McCarthy. In such a scenario, New York could package assets to trade back into the first round for a prospect such as Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix of Oregon. 

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Vikings as the betting favorites at +125 odds to select McCarthy.