The hype surrounding University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has seemingly grown as the 2024 NFL draft has drawn closer, but some in the NFL are questioning if he is worthy of an early pick.
According to ESPN’s John Keiman anonymous NFL offensive coach expressed their belief that McCarthy is in line to be “way over-drafted” simply because he is a quarterback. That same coach expressed the importance of McCarthy improving in key areas, including “shortening his stride and learning to throw with more touch.”
Another anonymous coach wondered if McCarthy belongs in the same group as the top quarterbacks in the draft, currently occupied by USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
The second tier is made up for Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix, and it is fair to question if McCarthy is closer to them or the elite group.
It has long been assumed that Williams would go first overall to the Chicago Bears followed by the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots using the Nos. 2 and 3 overall picks on Daniels and Maye in some order.
However, there has been some buzz about McCarthy possibly making his way into the top three with ESPN’s Adam Schefter saying this week on his podcast (h/t Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston) that he believes the Pats will choose between Maye or McCarthy at No. 3.
If the Patriots pass on McCarthy, there is a real possibility that he could go sixth overall to the New York Giants, or a quarterback-needy team like the Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos could trade ahead of them to take McCarthy.
There is no denying the team success the Wolverines had during McCarthy’s college career, as he posted a 27-1 record with two College Football Playoff appearances. He also led Michigan to a national title last season.
McCarthy’s numbers didn’t exactly leap off the page last season, though, as he completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions in a run-first offense.
It is possible that McCarthy has a ton of untapped potential that could be unlocked in a more pass-heavy offense in the NFL, but it is clear that there is trepidation from some in the NFL regarding his ability to be a quality starter.
2024-04-12 15:11:15
#NFL #Coach #Predicts #J.J #McCarthy #OverDrafted #Plays
