The New England Patriots might be fixated on Michigan's J.J. McCarthy following the last few weeks of Pro Days in the leadup to the 2024 NFL Draft.

McCarthy to New England was the “buzz on the Pro Day circuit” as Eliot Wolf seems a big fan of the quarterback, Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline reported.

“De facto general manager Eliot Wolf is pushing hard for McCarthy, and he believes he has as much upside as any quarterback in this draft,” Pauline wrote in his most recent mock draft.

The Patriots were on hand for McCarthy's Pro Day at Michigan in March, with Wolf, head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt reportedly among the group of team staffers in attendance.

But the Patriots selecting McCarthy with the No. 3 overall pick seems to be a bit of a surprise, at least at the moment. The Patriots have mostly been linked to UNC's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels with the third overall pick as most draft evaluators seem to have those two as their top quarterback prospects in the draft following Caleb Williams. Wolf, Mayo and Van Pelt were among the nine Patriots staffers who attended Maye's and Daniels' Pro Days last week.

Still, the Patriots selecting McCarthy isn't too far-fetched of an idea, either. They obviously need a quarterback after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars and only signing Jacoby Brissett for one year.

Additionally, McCarthy has risen on draft boards and mock drafts recently. The vast majority of mock drafts have McCarthy being a top-six pick, with the Minnesota Vikings possibly trading into the top five to draft him.

The Washington Commanders are likely to draft one of Maye or Daniels with the No. 2 pick as well. It isn't unfathomable to think that the Patriots could view McCarthy as a better prospect than whichever player the Commanders pass up on. McCarthy certainly had more team success in college than those two, leading Michigan to a national title this season. While he didn't put up amazing stats, McCarthy was productive, completing 72.3% of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions to go with three rushing touchdowns.

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Mayo recently said that he believes there are five starting quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. While he didn't name names, McCarthy would seem to be in that group considering that the team sent a heavy contingent to his Pro Day and met with him at the combine.

What J.J. McCarthy has said about the Patriots

Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass during the pregame before the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Ncaa Fiesta Bowl Game
© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

McCarthy spoke highly of the Patriots following their meeting at the combine, sending another signal that New England could wind up drafting him.

“It went amazing,” McCarthy told reporters of his meeting with the Patriots, via Matt Geagan of cbsnews.com. “Coach Mayo was just an awesome guy, asking really great questions. You could definitely tell he's been around this process a long time and been a part of it. Just great interactions.

“It would be an honor to be part of their organization.”