Renowned NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah figuratively put the cat amongst the pigeons when he unveiled his latest 2024 mock draft on Tuesday.

Predicting four quarterbacks get taken off the board within the first eight picks, coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are on the outside looking in. For example, the recent buzz that Michigan passer J.J. McCarthy is Payton’s new beau all comes to naught because the Atlanta Falcons nabbed McCarthy at No. 8 overall in Jeremiah’s simulation.

Truth is, the 21-year-old’s star is ascending so rapidly that Jeremiah is contemplating the scenario whereby four signal-callers get chosen in the first five picks.

“That’d be pretty nuts if four of the first five picks were quarterbacks, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Jeremiah said on a conference call Thursday, via Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com.

Payton might desire to trade up to secure his next QB on April 25, but the fundamental lack of the required draft collateral is currently blowing all such ambitions out of the water.

Mortgaging the farm didn’t work with the ill-fated Russell Wilson deal, so if Payton was determined to give away the shirt off his back, Jeremiah believes he better have fallen head over heels for a top rookie prospect.

“Sean (Payton) is going to have what he’s looking for at the position … You don’t make that type of move for a guy that you like … You make that type of move for a guy that you think has got a chance to be really special,” Jeremiah explained.

In the cloak-and-dagger game of draft curveballs and sliders, the prevailing belief that there’s no smoke without fire tends to ring true. Increasingly, the trail of breadcrumbs is leading more directly to the door of McCarthy’s specific skill set.

According to Jeremiah, McCarthy’s high football IQ and sound mechanics would make him an ideal fit for what Payton is seeking under center.

“There’s a lot to like with him,” he said. “[McCarthy] has a really, really quick mind. He has a quick release. Just everything is real smooth. … He never gets bored with completions.”

The real rub of the 2024 draft, especially for Payton and the Broncos, will be how quickly they can change gear if they do decide to stick where they’re currently picking, No. 12 overall.

Jeremiah believes trading out of the slot is a viable option as it could recoup a vital second-round pick — but perhaps Denver instead goes with Oregon QB Bo Nix after holding firm?

“McCarty and Nix would be the two that make a lot of sense if they’re going to stick and pick there, I think both of those guys do that really well,” Jeremiah said.