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The NFL draft is nearly upon us, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy's stock has been trending upward for the last couple of weeks. With the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels as the consensus top picks in the draft, which is exactly where others like McCarthy fall, this is an interesting project.
But with so much talent at the top of the draft, FS1's Colin Cowherd thinks that McCarthy getting drafted by the New England Patriots at No. 3 isn't a good move.
Cowherd said on "The Herd":
"I think J.J. McCarthy in New England is a bust. I think J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota with that talent and coach, that division, which is light on defense, heavy on scoring, works."
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The Patriots have struggled to replace Tom Brady. Moreover, with Mac Jones not working out, the franchise could easily take a quarterback at No. 3 as Jerod Mayo looks to get his new regime off to a good start.
If the Patriots select McCarthy at the top of the draft, as this mock draft suggests, it will be interesting to see how he develops.
Could J.J. McCarthy in New England work?
Last season, the Patriots had the 31st-ranked offense in the NFL as it only averaged 13.9 points a game. So if McCarthy does come into New England, the bar to succeed won't be that high.
Based on statistics, Demario Douglas was the Patriots' best receiver last season. He finished with 561 receiving yards as the offense under Mac Jones couldn't get anything going all season.
In McCarthy, the Patriots are getting a serial winner who led Michigan to the national championship. He was part of an offense that leaned heavily on the run game. Perhaps, that is the way forward for Mayo and McCarthy in their first year together.
There is a real chance that J.J. McCarthy gets drafted in the first round. He could easily go high (top-three pick) or could be a late first-round selection.
Either way, it appears that Cowherd doesn't want McCarthy to go to New England. Instead, he thinks the Vikings offer the young quarterback a better landing spot to succeed.
