The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, and that means smoke screens are at an all-time high.
Every year, as the draft grows closer, rumors start flying around like crazy as teams try and position themselves to land the player they truly want. Often, that means spreading misinformation to make teams picking behind you believe that you want who they want.
Is that the case for Michigan star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose draft stock has blasted off as the big day gets closer?
McCarthy was the engine of the Wolverines' national championship run, but he wasn't considered to be in the same conversation as the 2024 NFL Draft's "Big 3" of quarterbacks — USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye.
All of a sudden, reports suggest that McCarthy could get drafted as high as No. 2 to the Commanders or No. 3 to the Patriots.
Are those reports real, or are they just smoke screens? The Sporting News has you covered with the latest news on Michigan's McCarthy ahead of draft day.
MORE NFL DRAFT: 3-round Mock Draft | Top 200 big board
J.J. McCarthy draft rumors
McCarthy has pre-draft visits with six teams in top 12
Date: April 15
Reported by: ESPN's Adam Schefter
Smoke screen index: 0/10
"Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy's final pre-draft visit will come Tuesday and Wednesday, when he is scheduled to meet with the Commanders," Schefter reported.
"McCarty then will have visited the Commanders, Patriots, and Giants, while also conducting private workouts for the Vikings, Broncos, and Giants."
This is just Schefter reporting cold hard facts.
McCarthy, who was once seen as a back-end first-round pick, has rocketed up draft boards significantly. Now, he has visited six different teams that have picks in the top 12 of this year's draft.
MORE DRAFT RUMORS: Jayden Daniels | Drake Maye
Commanders could take McCarthy at No. 2
Date: April 5
Reported by: ESPN's Matt Miller
Smoke screen index: 9/10
"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 an NFL Draft intel piece. "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 leaguewide intel surrounding the quarterbacks."
Could McCarthy really overtake LSU's Daniels or North Carolina's Maye on the Commanders' draft board? It feels like a smoke screen, but it can't be completely ruled.
MORE: 2024 QB-only NFL Mock Draft: Where does McCarthy land?
Patriots interested in McCarthy at No. 3
Date: April 2
Reported by: Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline
Smoke screen index: 8/10
"What I heard from other general managers — not from the Patriots but other general managers — is that Eliot Wolf, the de facto general manager for the Patriots, is in love with J.J. McCarthy," Pauline said on Tom E. Curran's "Patriots Talk Podcast."
"And right now, the feeling is that J.J. McCarthy — or at least Eliot Wolf is pushing for J.J. McCarthy, and that seems like it's going to be the pick.
"I could understand the love for J.J. McCarthy. I don't agree with it, but I understand it because whether it's J.J. McCarthy or any of these Michigan kids, they have acquitted themselves well during the interview process."
New England is looking for its quarterback of the future, so it's not impossible that McCarthy could be the guy. It would be wise to trade back rather than taking him at No. 3 overall, though.
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