The New England Patriots have expanded their list of Top-30 visits to include one more first-round quarterback prospect. In two weeks, J.J. McCarthy, who guided Michigan to a title the previous year, will make an appearance at Gillette Stadium.
Following their meetings at the Scouting Combine and his pro day in Ann Arbor, McCarthy’s visit will mark the Patriots and McCarthy’s most recent point of contact.
One of the most divisive players in this year’s draft is the 21-year-old. In his two seasons as a starting quarterback for the Wolverines, he completed 482 of 713 pass attempts (67.6%) for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Nonetheless, given that he only averaged 23.3 throw attempts per start in a Michigan offense that prioritizes runs, there are concerns regarding his exposure.
McCarthy is anticipated to go undrafted in the first 15 picks of this year’s draft, though. Indeed, there are whispers that Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ director of scouting, is “pushing hard” for the junior quarterback.
It’s unclear if this indicates the Patriots are thinking about selecting McCarthy with the third overall pick; this is the NFL’s smoke and mirrors season.
As to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer report, McCarthy is among the three quarterbacks who are presently scheduled to visit New England. The other two are Jayden Daniels of LSU and Drake Maye of North Carolina: Daniels arrived on Monday for a Tuesday meeting; Maye was in town on Thursday and Friday.
NFL teams are permitted a total of 30 trips of this kind. As of right now, 13 players are known to have visited Foxborough, either as past visitors or as upcoming visitors, like McCarthy.
