JJ McCarthy headlined Michigan’s 13 players selected in this year’s NFL Draft. Now, the Wolverines will try to figure out how best to replace their starting quarterback entering the summer.

During the draft, Michigan led all programs in players selected in this year’s draft while McCarthy was the lone first-round pick at No. 10 overall. While Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins and a group of offensive linemen and other defensive pieces were selected, there’s no denying McCarthy was the X factor leading Michigan the last 2 seasons.

Coming out of the draft, ESPN’s Greg McElroy has McCarthy as one of the toughest pieces in the country to replace this season. Michigan will likely turn to either Alex Orji or Davis Warren for the starting job, but neither of those players currently possesses the type of talent or intangibles of McCarthy.

“Part of that has to do with the fact I’m looking at the quarterbacks that are vying for that position. And while I have tons of confidence in Alex Orji’s athleticism… I don’t know yet if he’s going to be able to produce those 3 or 4 timely throws that JJ McCarthy always seemed to produce,” said McElroy on his “Always College Football” show.

“You also have Davis Warren who appears closer to the starting role than I expected. And, if he gets healthy, we’ll get a better evaluation of Jack Tuttle.”

Joel Klatt also tackled the current QB battle coming out Michigan’s spring game. On “The Joel Klatt Show,” he said he sees two players who are vastly different between Orji and Warren, and it’s unclear if either can be the total package.

“The styles of the players in this QB battle are so vastly different. What Alex Orji brings to the table is explosiveness, the ability to run,” said Klatt. “What a guy like Davis Warren brings to the table is a prototypical knowledge-based, schematic-oriented QB who’s going to throw the ball to the right spot.”

Overall, Klatt believes Warren must use the system to his success while Orji can generate success because of his skill set. The key factor will be whether or not Orji can become an effective passer to go with his other physical tools.

The pressure facing Sherrone Moore

Unlike during the 2022 season, there is no Cade McNamara returning as the starter or a JJ McCarthy as the clear QB1-in-waiting. Orji currently looks like the most talented, but Sherrone Moore ultimately needs efficiency with the offense, and he will not have the luxury of the early-season schedule Michigan has faced in recent seasons.

To open the 2022 season, Jim Harbaugh awarded McNamara and McCarthy 1 start apiece against Colorado State and Hawaii before eventually awarding McCarthy the starting job. The Wolverines wrapped up the nonconference slate with a game against UConn before McCarthy would eventually make his first career B1G start in the fourth game of the season.

In the 2023 season, McCarthy was entrenched as the starter, but the Wolverines did start the year without Harbaugh on the sidelines. The competition was far from stiff with games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green in the nonconference schedule.

The Wolverines went 6-0 in those games with an average final score of 43.66 to 5.5. That’s the kind of schedule that would do wonders for a QB battle, but Moore does not have that luxury this fall.

Michigan gets things started with a game against Fresno State, a Mountain West program but one that has won at least 9 games the past 3 seasons. Things quickly get tougher with a Week 2 visit from Texas, and Week 4 will feature a game against USC.

Michigan enters the season with the 3rd-best Big Ten Championship odds, and fans can use Tradition’s Michigan sports betting apps to take part in the action. However, there will not be the kind of “ramp up” schedule to start the season.

Moore will need to have his QB picture clearly defined to begin the year or things could get crazy early on.