No one has been the subject of more NFL draft hype entering the scouting combine than Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
From being counted out of the first round to being a guy who’s looked at as a top 10 pick by many now, the former Wolverines signal caller may be more impressive to general managers and coaches in the NFL than average fans and recruitniks.
Case in point: ESPN’s Louis Reddick appeared on air and shared that after some of the conversations he’s recently had in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine, McCarthy may be more well-regarded than others believe.
“I’ll go so much as to say this — just off camera, talking to some personnel people, they think J.J. McCarthy’s going top five,” Riddick said. “I’m just telling you that he may go top five.”
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Generally, we see USC‘s Caleb Williams, LSU‘s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina‘s Drake Maye as the quarterbacks taken ahead of McCarthy. None of the aforementioned are throwing at the combine, but McCarthy is. And he has an opportunity, between that and meetings, to absolutely wow NFL franchises.
The commentary by non-Michigan fans on Reddick’s revelation indicate many don’t believe the McCarthy hype. They note Michigan often ran the ball instead of utilizing his arm. However, when it comes to passing grades according to PFF, McCarthy is 12th nationally. Yes, he’s behind Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. and Drake Maye, but he’s also ahead of Caleb Williams who is No. 15.
Many believe McCarthy is in a different class than the more prolific passers, but those who don’t understand that it’s not that Michigan couldn’t throw with him at the helm, it’s that it was a more complementary football team that wasn’t about razzle-dazzle through the air as much as it was effectively marching down the field, scoring touchdowns and winning games.