NFL Draft 2024: Rumors include J.J. McCarthy to Washington, Patriots trading down

How close is the 2024 NFL Draft?

It is just 17 days away.

For many the NFL Draft is a year-round event. When one draft ends, the next one begins. But for other NFL fans, April is when they begin to tune in for draft coverage.

Making sense of the rumors circling the draft then can be difficult. Sorting through all the pre-draft smoke to try and find the true bits of fire can be tough.

We are here to help.

Starting this week we will be keeping tabs on the biggest NFL Draft rumors, ahead of the big event kicking off on Thursday, April 25 in Detroit.

Here is what you need to know this Monday.

One draft rumor that will not go away?

The idea of quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the Washington Commanders.

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller wrote late last week that the idea of McCarthy being Washington pick at No. 2 would be “foolish” to dismiss.

“If this was one or two people saying it, I’d probably dismiss it as the usual April draft buzz that doesn’t come to fruition,” Miller wrote in ESPN Insider. “But enough sources around the NFL are whispering that McCarthy could very well be the second quarterback off the board that it has to be considered possible at this point...Ruling out McCarthy in Washington would be foolish based on league-wide intel surrounding the quarterbacks.”

Miller is not the only one promoting this idea. Back at the Owners Meetings in March NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero also linked McCarthy to Washington, and new general manager Adam Peters:

While we have our own thoughts on the potential selection of McCarthy by the Commanders, it seems this rumor is not going anywhere.

As a veteran of far too many draft cycles to count, one of the annual traditions is the urge to fit as many quarterbacks as possible into the first round.

Of course, on the one hand it makes sense given the current economics of the NFL. If you can find a rookie quarterback capable of playing at a decent enough level, that gives you a few seasons to maximize the talent around that QB while they are playing on a rookie deal. If you want a recent example, just take a look at the Houston Texans.

Which makes a first-round QB, and that potential fifth-year option, attractive to teams.

Looking at NFL Mock Draft Database Michael Penix Jr. is right on the fringe of the first round, currently sitting at No. 31 on the “Consensus Big Board.” But while mock drafts are one data point, where Penix comes off the board will ultimately be down to the teams, and perhaps the coaches in the room making those decisions.

Which could propel the lefty passer into the first round.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted over the weekend that in speaking with coaches and scouts, that former group is much higher on Penix than the latter:

Whether that is truly enough to push him into the first round remains to be seen.

Not all news is good news ahead of the draft.

Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat was arrested over the weekend and charged with Driving While Impaired, according to KXAN. He was released on Sunday morning after posting a $3,000 bond:

Sweat was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and earned the 2023 Outland Trophy which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football. He is expected to be an early-round selection later this month, with consensus mock drafts linking him to the Houston Texans early in the second round.

The New York Giants are in a fascinating position as the draft looms.

With the sixth-overall selection, the Giants could find themselves right in the thick of the QB game, depending on how the top of the draft shakes out. While New York still has Daniel Jones in the fold, added Drew Lock in free agency, and could try and rekindle some magic with Tommy DeVito, if the right quarterback falls to them at six, they could pounce.

According to Giants reporter Jordan Raanan of ESPN, the team is “monitoring” the top quarterbacks in the draft, with an eye towards Jayden Daniels of LSU, or McCarthy. “When it comes to this year’s quarterbacks, Daniels is a name to keep an eye on, if he’s not among the top two picks with Williams,” wrote Raanan recently. “He is a player who is well-regarded within the organization and that multiple sources with connections to Schoen and Daboll believe would be an ideal fit in their offense. There is also interest in McCarthy, especially if he is available at No. 6.”

However, QB is not the only need in New York, as the team has been linked to a number of wide receivers throughout the draft cycle, including Daniels’ LSU teammate Malik Nabers.

Part of New York “monitoring” the top quarterbacks might come down to an issue of trade value. Should the Giants be on the clock with a quarterback available and a team, say the Minnesota Vikings, is looking up, New York will want to know exactly what they should be looking for in return.

Speaking of trade scenarios ...

Depending on who you talk to, the 2024 NFL Draft begins either at No. 4 with the Arizona Cardinals, or at No. 3 with the New England Patriots. With both Chicago and Washington likely locked into drafting a quarterback with the first two selections, the excitement could start in one of those two spots.

Of course, the Patriots need a quarterback as well. Mac Jones is in Jacksonville — and apparently working on a rap career — and while New England added Jacoby Brissett in free agency, the veteran is likely viewed as a short-term option, and not the future at the position. New England selecting a quarterback at No. 3 is certainly in play, and the Patriots have been linked to many of the top passers in the class.

Yet the Patriots have needs beyond quarterback, and only the people in the room know how they view the quarterback board. If there is a sizeable gap between the top two QBs on their board and their QB3, and the first two options are selected by Chicago and Washington, the Patriots could be looking at other needs, or trading out of that spot.

On “SportsCenter” this weekend ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicated that some in league circles believe New England could trade down, or even sit tight and draft their highest-graded non-QB.

“I have talked to a few teams that are drafting in the top 10-12 that wonder, if the quarterback they want isn’t there at No. 3, do they just take a Marvin Harrison Jr. [or] stockpile some picks?” Fowler said on “SportsCenter” this weekend.

Fowler also noted that the team is “comfortable with [Brissett] as a bridge starter playing some games next year,” and “it’s not even a slam dunk they take a quarterback.”

As for what they would be looking for to trade out of No. 3?

A lot.

As in, more than three first-round picks “a lot.”

“They as a team, collectively, understand what these three quarterbacks represent at the top of the draft,” Patriots insider Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston said on his “Patriots Talk Podcast” this weekend.

Still, teams like the Vikings and the Giants have been linked to potential trades with the Patriots.

Stay tuned.