This offseason, the Raiders will have to make a number of important decisions, the most significant of which may
have to do with the quarterback. The team keeps advancing up the selection boards, but Aidan O’Connell hasn’t
demonstrated enough for them to trust him to be the starter come the end of the season.
ESPN’s Matt Miller predicts the Raiders will select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the seventh choice in
the 2024 NFL Draft.
Could Aidan O’Connell help the Raiders win in 2024? Indeed, but even after adding Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2023
offseason, all indications now point to them beginning again at quarterback under a new administration, Miller said
in a mock draft on December 12. McCarthy has the innate ability to be successful, efficient, and
Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of UNC, and Jayden Daniels of LSU are chosen ahead of the Raiders in Miller’s
mock draft. McCarhty hasn’t had a very strong season at Michigan. In 2023, he has passed for 2,630 yards, 19
touchdowns, and just four interceptions. But Michigan doesn’t expect him to do too much because they are a running
football and excellent defense team.
McCarthy may still have some unrealized potential in light of this, but a team that chooses to select him early will be
dealing with a lot of projection.
J.J. McCarthy-Jim Harbaugh Relationships
After losing three straight games as temporary head coach Antonio Pierce, the Raiders will probably be looking for a
new coach this offseason. Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of Michigan, is one name that has previously been
connected to the position.
Harbaugh has been toying with the idea of joining the NFL for a few years, and with an impending NCAA
punishment, this might be the ideal opportunity to take the leap. He was hired as the quarterbacks coach by the
Raiders in 2002, which was his first coaching position.
It becomes far more likely that J.J. McCarthy will be the quarterback the team drafts if Las Vegas hires him.
McCarthy and Harbaugh get along well and having experienced consecutive college football postseasons together.
Observing that grow in the NFL might be a surefire way to succeed.
Is J.J. McCarthy’s Place in the Top 10 Too High?
The Raiders’ mock draft, as proposed by Matt Miller, has an issue because they would select the fourth quarterback
in the draft with the No. 7 choice. A player who is rated as the fourth-best at his position should be selected with that
high of a pick.
Drafting quarterbacks isn’t a precise science, though. If teams could go back in time and change anything, even the
top ten picks from the previous year would probably look extremely different. Even though J.J. McCarthy doesn’t
have flashy numbers, he is quite agile, has a strong arm, and stands a respectable 6-foot-3. Despite being a tad
underweight at 197 pounds, Bryce Young was still the first overall choice in 2023.
McCarthy would gain a great deal from making several strong plays during the college football playoffs, but it’s still
hard to see him selected in the top ten right now. The Raiders might have to trade down and add him later in the first
round if he turns out to be their guy.
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