Minnesota takes U-M QB JJ McCarthy at pick 10 of NFL Draft 1st round
J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Michigan Wolverines throws a first quarter touchdown while playing the East Carolina Pirates at Michigan Stadium on September 02, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy was the fifth signal caller taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit Thursday night.
McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter and led the Wolverines to the National Championship. The Vikings which traded up to pick 10 from the New York Jets, have never drafted a QB in the first round before.
Six quarterbacks were selected among the top 12 picks Thursday and the most in that round since 1983.
His stock was red-hot following the NFL Combine and his scheduled workout and interviews. He had first been considered a late first-round or possibly early second-round choice, but his stock has risen of late.
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It is the first time a U-M quarterback has gone that high since McCarthy's former coach Jim Harbaugh went in 1987 at pick 26 by the Chicago Bears.
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McCarthy's .961 winning percentage as a starter is the third-best winning percentage by a quarterback in college football history and the best by any college quarterback since 1971.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 25: A general view of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)