After the 2023 NFL season ended, the New England Patriots cleaned house as they parted ways with long-time head coach Bill Belichick and elevated linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to replace him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the coaching staff went through an overhaul and the new regime will now need to focus on the 2024 NFL Draft to address the roster.
Quarterback is the biggest and most obvious need for the Patriots as they shuffled between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe in 2023.
Although they brought back Jacoby Brissett to presumably start as their bridge signal-caller, New England is widely expected to take a quarterback in the draft.
The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick and will have a few prospects that will be available at that spot.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy has been gaining steam as a top-10 pick and it appears that acting New England general manager Eliot Wolf is a big fan of his, per Tony Pauline via Dov Kleiman on Twitter.
“I’m not big on McCarthy being a top-10 selection, but the UM signal caller to New England was the buzz on the pro-day circuit. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf is pushing hard for McCarthy, and he believes he has as much upside as any quarterback in this draft,” Pauline reported.
Patriots GM Eliot Wolf is pushing “hard” for the team to draft JJ McCarthy, per @TonyPauline
“I’m not big on McCarthy being a top-10 selection, but the UM signal caller to New England was the buzz on the pro-day circuit. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf is pushing hard for… https://t.co/AP7wd0GIFM pic.twitter.com/fjf1W3Cjud
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 7, 2024
McCarthy is a divisive prospect for evaluators because of the offensive system Michigan ran.
McCarthy wasn’t asked to do much as a passer, but showed off his arm talent at the NFL Draft Combine.
New England will have the ability to outright draft McCarthy at No. 3, and it’ll be interesting to see if they go that route.
The post Patriots Executive Reportedly ‘Pushing Hard’ To Draft QB Prospect appeared first on The Cold Wire.