Ever since the college football season ended in early January with Michigan football raising the trophy, Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy has been rising on draft boards. McCarthy only lost one game as a starter at Michigan, and he guided the Wolverines to two Big Ten titles and a national title.

A lot of people originally thought that JJ McCarthy would be a late first-round/second-round pick, but he has been trending upwards in recent weeks. Michigan didn't need McCarthy to throw that often, but when he did, he was excellent, and he won a ton of football games. NFL Draft analyst Bucky Brooks thinks that McCarthy should be taken early.

“If quarterbacks are judged by their wins, McCarthy should move to the front of the line, thanks to his nearly perfect résumé as the leader of the Wolverines,” Brooks said, according to an article from Sports Illustrated. “The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder finished his career with a 27-1 record and a national title while managing an offense that featured a smash-mouth running game. Though he routinely played a complementary role, McCarthy flashes intriguing skills as a dual-threat playmaker with A-plus arm talent and evolving pocket-passing skills.”

Because of the fact that McCarthy didn't throw the ball a ton at Michigan, the combine will be important for him. He made a good amount of NFL throws while playing for the Wolverines, and the combine will be a good opportunity for him to show that he can do it consistently.

“The junior standout can make every throw in the book, but he needs more opportunities to show evaluators that he is deadly accurate and consistent with his ball placement,” Brooks continued. “He's currently ranked No. 5 among QBs on my list of the top five prospects by position. Given his limited experience (28 career starts) and managerial approach with the Wolverines, McCarthy's stock will rise or fall based on his chalk-talk sessions and workouts leading up to the draft.”

The NFL Draft isn't for a couple more months as it will take place in late April. We will have to wait and see where McCarthy ends up, but he is trending in the right direction right now.