This QB’s draft stock is red-hot, could rise out of Rams’ reach

Rams may need to trade up if they want a shot at Michigan’s JJ McCarthy

One of the fastest rising draft prospects over the last few weeks is Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. Around the time that McCarthy helped Michigan bring home the NCAA championship he was thought of as a late first or second round draft prospect. Just a month later he may be pushing the top 10 already and could be a trade up target for several teams in need of quarterback help.

It’s important to keep in mind that this year’s NFL Draft doesn’t take place until late April. There will be constant trickle until then on movers and shakers and smokescreens from players’ representations and teams themselves. Take everything with skepticism and we’ll see the true results in April.

With that said, the Los Angeles Rams on the surface seem like a prime destination for McCarthy.

Matthew Stafford is 36 and most seem to think he has a year or two of high level play left in the tank. The Rams are working to complete their rebuild and open a new window of contention after bringing home a championship in Super Bowl LVI. The window for the rest of their roster could extend well beyond Stafford’s individual timeline, so Los Angeles will likely need to thread the needle between their signal callers in order to remain competitive.

While McCarthy certainly stood out in flashes while at Michigan, he was never a high volume passer in Jim Harbaugh’s run heavy offense and he would benefit from a redshirt rookie year and sitting behind a veteran like Stafford.

Stylistically McCarthy and Stafford are comparable. They are both finesse throwers of the football and have elite ball placement in tight windows. McCarthy likely offers more upside athletically and could bring an element of mobility that would be welcome to Sean McVay’s offense—just as we saw with Carson Wentz in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The downside for LA is that they may need to trade up to land McCarthy and then groom him as their quarterback of the future, but this is an approach that seems to be paying off for the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and the Green Bay Packers with Jordan Love. It’s a huge benefit to have your next quarterback on the roster when you’re already competitive with your current veteran.

McCarthy will be sought after by teams in the Shanahan-McVay offensive scheme. His floor may already be pick #11 with the Minnesota Vikings, but he also makes sense for the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets at #8 and #9, respectively. Landing McCarthy would almost certainly require a trade up, but we’ve seen Les Snead and McVay make these types of moves for quarterbacks before. LA would need to get ahead of the likes of the Vikings, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints.

It’s also possible that the Rams don’t see an investment at quarterback as an urgent priority, and they’ll use their first round pick to fortify other areas of the roster and build around Stafford while he’s here.

On the surface a potential marriage between JJ McCarthy and the Rams seems like a match made in heaven; however, McCarthy is one of the fastest rising prospects in the draft and the Rams may need to make an aggressive move in order to land their quarterback of the future.