It’s been a rousing game of musical chairs in the NFL lately, with multiple high-profile veteran quarterbacks switching teams and finding new homes.
All of this player movement has left rookie quarterbacks scrambling for answers on where they will be taken in the upcoming NFL Draft, none more so than Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings have a new clear favorite to select the Michigan Man, making the Kirk Cousins-less Vikings the leader with +180 odds at DraftKings.
This is down slightly from the +300 you could’ve had Monday when Cousins officially announced his departure from Minnesota to Atlanta.
Minnesota’s odds got as low as +150 on Wednesday, but bettors appear to have had some buyback on other teams that could vie for McCarthy.
J.J. McCarthy updated 2024 Draft odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Vikings | +180 |
| Giants | +350 |
| Broncos | +350 |
| Patriots | +550 |
| Raiders | +850 |
| Seahawks | 12/1 |
| Rams | 12/1 |
| Saints | 16/1 |
| Commanders | 22/1 |
| Titans | 25/1 |
The Vikings currently seem ready to start Sam Darnold.
Prior to the legal tamper period, the Broncos (+350) were the prevailing favorites to draft McCarthy, with reports out of the NFL Combine stating coach Sean Payton is “infatuated” with Jim Harbaugh’s prodigy.
There’s also the Giants (+350), whose February odds were more than 20/1, but they now have the second-best odds to bring in McCarthy, probably having first dibs with the No. 6 pick.
However, the Giants elected to bring in the talented backup Drew Lock in free agency.
Lock has showcased some flashes of brilliance in his past stops in Denver and Seattle.
The Giants are also in desperate need of a receiver, having struck out in free agency up until this point.
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McCarthy seems to be the one with the most mixed opinions around draft position, with original thoughts expecting him to be a late first-round draft selection.
But the recent optimism now has him projected in the early to mid-range of the first round.
And Denver might need to jump up to grab its franchise quarterback after kicking Russell Wilson to the curb.