It literally says he has to play himself into a first round selection, meaning they didn't view him as a first rounder like you claimed. Any scout thinking he could play himself into the #1 pick prior to the season with Caleb coming off his heisman should be terminated immediately.
No this is what it says.
"According to reports last week from NFL scouts, many believe that Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has the potential to be the best QB in the country, and possibly the first quarterback off the board in 2024," said Breneman. "Some scouts say his arm talent has more upside than any other quarterback they've scouted in next years draft, and that they believe McCarthy can lead Michigan to a national championship and take home the Heisman along the way."
This is the only part that is a quote from NFL scouts. It says he can be the first QB off the board.
The 2nd paragraph was not based on scouts reports. It is just the author of the article making a comment. It doesnt have quotes in the original article. I just added them to show I was quoting the article.
So you asked what Scouts said not what the author of an article said. Scouts said he could be the No 1 QB taken. There is no way those scouts think he is a 2nd or 3rd round QB who can magically become the No 1 overall pick.