NFL analyst floats idea of Los Angeles Rams trading up for J.J. McCarthy

Could the Los Angeles Rams take a swing on University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the NFL Draft later this month?

The Rams currently have Matthew Stafford under center, so they don’t need a quarterback for 2024. However, Stafford is aging and has a checkered injury history, so Los Angeles may need to start thinking about the future at the position.

Of course, LA almost certainly wouldn’t be able to take McCarthy at its current draft slot. The Rams pick 19th overall, and McCarthy is expected by just about everyone to go higher than that. That means Los Angeles will have to trade up for the chance to select him.

Mike Fanelli of Rotoballer thinks it’s a possibility, saying that the Rams could put together a package that includes their own first-round draft pick in order to move up to land McCarthy. He thinks Los Angeles could jump up to the ninth spot to make it happen.

Fanelli notes that LA made a similar move back in 2016 when it traded up from No. 15 to the top overall pick to take Jared Goff.

McCarthy just led Michigan to a national championship and is coming off of a season in which he threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.3 percent of his passes.

The 21-year-old is one of the more polarizing players in this year’s NFL Draft class.

While some laud McCarthy’s intangibles, others are more concerned about his physical limitations, especially compared to some of the other top signal-caller prospects.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has widely been regarded as a quarterback whisperer, so perhaps he can squeeze the best out of J.J. McCarthy if Los Angeles decides to draft him.