The New England Patriots will be well-represented Friday at Michigan's Pro Day, where some of the best prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft will showcase their talent and meet with teams.
The group of Patriots staffers in Ann Arbor includes head coach Jerod Mayo, who got to Michigan on Thursday, per NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported earlier this week that de facto GM Eliot Wolf, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney will be at Michigan's Pro Day.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The most notable prospect at Michigan's Pro Day is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has steadily climbed pre-draft rankings and expert mock drafts in recent weeks. Some experts think he might even be selected in the top 10 of the first round.
McCarthy did not throw at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month, but he will do so Friday.
Opinions on what McCarthy could become at the pro level vary quite a bit. He played very well as the Michigan starter over the last two seasons and helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship last season. But Michigan was a run-first offense. McCarthy wasn't asked to carry his team to victory as often as some of the other top-tier quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class.
That said, it's hard to ignore the fact that he went 27-1 with a 68.3 completion percentage, 5680 yards, 44 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a starter.
McCarthy isn't the only prospect worth keeping tabs on Friday.
More Patriots coverage
Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson could be a second-round pick. He set career highs with 48 receptions for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wilson actually caught half of all Michigan passing touchdowns in 2023.
Wolverines linebacker Junior Colson and cornerback Mike Sainristil might be Day 2 picks as well. Colson reportedly won't work out at Michigan's Pro Day, but Sainristil is expected to go through drills. He's one of the top cornerbacks in this year's class.
The Patriots have drafted five Michigan players -- Andrew Stueber (2022), Cameron McGrone (2021), Josh Uche (2020), Mike Onwenu (2020) and Chase Winovich (2019) -- since 2019.
The Wolverines produce a lot of quality NFL players, and based on how many important people the Patriots sent to Ann Arbor on Friday, it looks like they feel there's a lot of talent coming out of this program in the 2024 draft class.