What Does The Future Hold For Michigan football's 2024 Draft Picks?

After winning a National Championship in dominant fashion, was there any question that last year's Michigan fooball team was one of the most talented to come through Ann Arbor in decades, maybe ever? The 2024 NFL draft certainly validated that the rest of the football world saw it the same way as Michigan saw 13 of its best and brightest drafted to the next level, which was a program record.

It was the third most picks for one school since the draft expanded to seven rounds. Scouts, general managers, and head coaches in the NFL saw the promise in Michigan's core players, and now the question becomes: how will those players fit into their future teams?

J.J. McCarthy

The Minnesota Vikings took Michigan's championship quarterback with the 10th overall pick after trading up with the New York Jets to acquire him. After going 27-1 for the Maize and Blue, McCarthy will get a chance to lead the Vikings in their quest to take back the NFC North. The question marks surrounding JJ at the next level were those that Michigan football fans have become all too familiar with, namely that he was not called to throw the ball with a frequency and volume that could clearly establish that he could carry a team by himself. The term "system quarterback" was used more than once.

The Vikings have made it clear that they are not going to rush McCarthy and that they will focus on his development at a slow and steady pace. It's expected that journeyman Sam Darnold will be the starter following the departure of Kirk Cousins, but everyone in Minnesota knows that it is just a matter of time before JJ is asked to step in and show that he can be more than just a game manager. When that time comes, he will certainly have the weapons to prove it, including one of the league's most electric wide receivers in Justin Jefferson. The JJ to JJ connection in Minneapolis could be a game-winning reality very soon.