Buying or selling some of the top rumors ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft

Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Typically the week leading up to the NFL Draft is one of the more chaotic of the calendar year.

It’s also the time of the year when medical red flags pop up, character concerns are brought to light and the personal lives of many NFL hopefuls are made public all in the name of draft-board manipulation, leaving scouts and GMs to sift through what’s fact and what’s fiction.

Below are four of the 2024 draft’s juiciest rumors with some analysis about whether or not each has any credibility.

1- J.J. McCarthy could go No. 2 overall

Somehow in the matter of two-plus months, without playing a down since the national championship game, McCarthy has seen his draft stock skyrocket, and he’s now being discussed as the potential second overall pick behind USC’s Caleb Williams (his odds are now 11/1.) It almost feels like Ashton Kutcher is going to casually appear any minute with a camera crew and explain that everyone just got “Punk’d.”

Of the top four passers in the draft class — Williams, McCarthy, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels — McCarthy has been asked to do less with more, and he has the most question marks about him in terms of his ability to carry a team on his shoulders. Yes, teams reach for QBs in the draft quite frequently, but picking McCarthy over Maye or Daniels is going to be a tough sell to Washington Commanders fans. Verdict: Sell

2- Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants are jockeying for No. 3 pick

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the Giants, who pick sixth overall, and the Vikings, who pick 11th and 23rd overall, are the two teams most actively trying to trade up to get their quarterback.

Daniel Jones’ injury history is serious enough that nobody would blame the Giants for looking for his successor this year. Even when healthy, Jones doesn’t move the needle much, and head coach Brian Daboll needs a Josh Allen-like signal-caller to execute his offense.

Conversely, the Vikings are facing the prospect of starting Sam Darnold under center and wasting a year of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson in their primes. Minnesota acquired a second first-rounder in March, presumably as more ammunition for a move up, and in win-now mode, the Vikings may just sell the farm to try and get Maye or McCarthy. Verdict: Buy

3- Malik Nabers is passing Marvin Harrison Jr. as the draft’s WR1

Some draft experts have Nabers, not Harrison Jr., as their top-rated receiver in the 2024 class, including former ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who’s now with The Ringer. Both players have their strong suits.

The two things Nabers excels at perhaps better than any player in the 2024 class is his ability to create separation (he was third in the country with 3.64 yards per route run) and gain yards after the catch — a category he ranked ninth in the NCAA in last season (589). Per Pro Football Focus, Nabers ranked third in the NCAA in receiving yards (624) and touchdowns (nine) on receptions of 20 yards or more.

However, Harrison Jr. is arguably the most NFL-ready wideout in the 2024 draft who can step in and be a Ja’Marr Chase-like difference maker from Day 1. He has the size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) and the pedigree (son of Colts’ Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison) on top of being an elite route runner with excellent deep-ball tracking skills and an uncanny ability to make absurd sideline catches. In any other draft, Nabers would be the sure-fire No. 1 WR, but not this year. Verdict: Sell

4- Denver Broncos are dangling CB Patrick Surtain II to get their QB

Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reported that Surtain II could be part of a “king’s ransom” the Broncos are prepared to offer to trade up into the top five and get their future franchise quarterback. Denver doesn’t have a second-round pick this season, and as a result, any trade to trade up for a QB would involve the No. 12 overall pick this year and presumably both its first- and second-rounder next year.

Sure, adding a player of Surtain II’s caliber lessens the draft capital the team would have to part with to acquire a QB for head coach Sean Payton, but the 24-year-old CB is already a star in a pass-happy league, and surely the Broncos front office realizes the answer to filling one roster hole isn’t creating another one. After trading for Zach Wilson Monday afternoon, it’s tough to see Denver selling low on a player like Surtain II to gamble on a passer. Verdict: Sell

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