Isn’t this whole McCarthy thing similar to Mac Jones? He was also not quite there on any of the NFL QB criteria but was good enough, and most importantly a winner. He also couldn’t be fairly judged bc he played for such a juggernaut, or so they said
This Mac Jones comp hit me when I saw someone’s mock draft today that had him going at #3 to (drum roll…) the Patriots. It literally stopped my read, bc it was so clear to me that JJ McCarthy and Mac Jones are the same guy.
So: if you’re Seattle, do you draft Mac Jones at #16?
Good question and situation comparison. Mac Jones was even highly regarded as a player who could read a defense and go through his progressions, whereas McCarthy's strengths seem more like being creative and throwing an intermediate dot over the head of a defender to the only spot his player could get it; if McCarthy played in an offense like Mac's at Alabama, he might have tallied up 40 touchdown passes too. I didn't really get into it, but McCarthy was surrounded by talent at Michigan and we'll never quite know how his successor would do with Jim Harbaugh. We know that all of his predecessors had good numbers and no NFL future. McCarthy may be much better than McNamara and Patterson, but those guys were like not even close to NFL talents. McCarthy's never been put in a disadvantageous situation before, which is why transferring would have been so fascinating. It's just questionable that he played at Michigan and now he's being hyped up for "what could have happened" instead of what actually happened. Total late 1st/2nd round pick type QB to me.
Yep, and honestly if that. For example if Seattle trades down and ends up with a pick like 42 or 44, and they pick McCarthy, doesn’t it leave you feeling sorta hollow?
Said another way, what is it about McCarthy that says he’s any better than Geno? Do you spend your 2nd rd pick on a younger Geno? So you have the next decade with Geno A and Geno B at the helm?
I don’t know man. The flier on Howell seems so much cheaper and so much higher ceiling doesn’t it?
Yogi was a Yogi 🧘♀️ The only quotes was Yogi’s. “When you get to the fork in the road take it”. “It’s deja-vu all over again”. “You can observe a lot just by watching”. So I think Yogi would have said something like this about evidence. “The proof is in the evidence”. May the 12s be with you.
The pre-draft QB hype distorts just about everyone’s perception (Seaside excepted). The 2024 class is no different: Getting away from the mocks and reading scouting reports gives me the impression that only Williams and Maye are true first-round talents.
BTW, of the nineteen QBs drafted in 2021-22, only the first (Trevor Lawrence) and last (Brock Purdy) chosen are expected to start in 2024.
Great article. The media hype bias is just silly. Remember what life was like before ESPN? It think that is how good GM’s operate just for the simple fact of how ridiculous it really is. I’m sure they all hear the rumors but I doubt they even pay attention. These people are pouring over tape and interviewing peoples aunts best friends cousin to find out what these guys are about.
Is McCarthy a good college QB on a great team or a great QB on an average team? I think he's a product of the media and the Michigan hype machine. He's the next Ridder,Willis, Levi's , Jones, Lance etc. I hope the Hawks don't waste a pick on him. At best a late 3rd round pick.
Hopefully the pro scouts don't fall into the media madness. But every year some QB gets way over drafted ! JJ may be the next.
I don't know if it is the media hype or not, but QB's almost always go earlier than expected. JJ McCarthy is just one of many who has been hyped for one reason or another, and ends up going earlier than expected. That is every year except two years ago when the media hype was JUST media hype. This year seems poised to end up with at least four and probably 6 QB's who will go in the first round. I'm taking bets.
It just slays me that in the mind of the draftniks, McCarthy jumps to the 2nd or 3rd draft pick because….someone said so. No more games were played. No new tape was found. No teams made pro-McCarthy announcements. Just unsubstantiated hype.
If he’s available at 16, I hope the Seahawks don’t choose him. Either build a wall or get a true difference maker. Just don’t follow the hype.
Ok as a MICH fan who has watched JJ McCarthy over three seasons I feel like I have to say something here.
First, I agree with the conclusion that JJ should--because of the player that he is today and not for his potential--be drafted outside of the top 20.
But... you can't talk about JJ McCarthy without also talking about Harbaugh. Those two undeniably had a connection. Had Harbaugh stayed another year at MICH, JJ would have as well, and that would have done him a world of good in terms of his development. But with his mentor heading for the bigs and the opportunity there for JJ to go as well, he decided to do THAT having achieved everything he could at the NCAA level. Going out a national champion is pretty sweet, and no one is expecting MICH to repeat even if McCarthy had stayed.
So what about McCarthy the QB? In the last year or so I my assessment of JJ is that he would be a younger, probably smarter in terms of his football sense, version of Drew Lock. JJ is not a dual threat QB but is more than capable of making plays running the ball when needed, and he often got key 1st downs that way. Although he does not have the volume stats passing that it seems are expected of a Rd 1 QB, he can as they say "make all the throws". Watch the tape vs OSU (either year he beat them).
The thing you notice about McCarthy is how much he improved every year, playing some as a true freshman, winning the job in a competition straight up as a sophomore, and leading his team to the Natty as a junior.
I honestly think McCarthy's floor is Drew Lock, and his ceiling is a top 5 NFL QB. Harbaugh consistently favorably compared McCarthy to that guy he coached at Stanford. Had they spent another year together at MICH maybe McCarthy goes #1 next year like Andrew Luck did.
Will JJ be drafted "too high" this year based on what he has shown so far? Maybe. But if I was looking to take a chance on a QB who could be great down the road, knowing there is some development to do, I would definitely pick him from the middle of the first round on.
What I like about McCarthy most is how he throws the ball on the dead run- snaps his hips to align with the throw and zips it. He also makes the throws in the critical situations. Michigan could grind the ball because he could get them the critical third down. I think you are dead on why came out. It is hard as all get out to predict whether he will be great but there are things to like.
I’ve been asking same questions about him when so many said Seattle had to get him, in the first. He did not “jump” off the TV in the couple games I watched. It does sound a lot like the previous draft listed QBs. They are the homecoming kings so get extra attention. What is generally clear, most NFL GM coaches and scouts don’t pay a lot of attention to social media and the so called draft pundits. FYI just read title that Vikes may be interested in Rattler.
Personally, if I had to rank the QBs I want (and I am far from an expert):
1. Daniels
2. Penix
3. Williams
4. Nix
5. McCarthy
6. Maye
I'd be thrilled if the Hawks found a way to get Penix, but I don't know that any of them are generational talents. Williams gets the hype, and so did Trevor Lawrence. There just aren't many guys at the top level and it's hard to find them sometimes (Mahomes going 10th in his draft year).
I found it helpful to watch the "(insert QB name here) All Throws and Runs 2023 Season" on you tube when evaluating the QB's in this class. You get to see the good, bad and ugly from the major prospects without watching the entire game but also see down and distance and get to feel the game flow a little bit.
IN MY OPINION... I would rank the top 6 QB's: 1) Williams 2) Daniels 3) Penix 4) Nix 5) McCarthy 6) Maye. Williams is calm, athletic, and makes good decisions. Daniels would be number 1 but takes crazy hits too often, he's gonna RG3 his way out of the league if he's not careful. Penix looks amazing at times and a little sloppy at times. Nix is a good QB with a history of erratic play but in the right system could really have a good career. McCarthy does a nice job of staying in a throwing position, and keeps his eyes up-field. Maye looks like he needs to keep working on his game, but I see potential there. I would lump Williams and Daniels in tier 1. Penix, Nix, and McCarthy in tier 2. Maye in a tier closer to Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis. I hope we pass on QB's in this year's draft and look to stack the trenches and revamp the defense, then look for QB later. It makes more sense all the time to go get Sam Howell. In JSMM we trust!!!
Let me give you a counter argument to why McCarthy is rising beyond media hyping a quarterback for the sake of hyping a quarterback.
McCarthy had zero hype going into the season. The media did not think he was coming out for most of the season. His stats did not get people’s attention during the season. Finally he was not an athletic freak. So now attention is being paid and he is rising up boards.
And there are some reasons why that you left out. 1 he was a five star recruit coming out of high school and probably the best qb coming out of high school including Brady and Harbaugh that Michigan has signed. 2) Every year he has gotten better. 3) He was sought after because he can make all the throws and has been very well coached. 4) He excels throwing on the run. 4) The bigger the moment- 3rd down, 4th quarter, Ohio State, national championship semifinals and finals the better he plays.
I agreed with last year because I saw guy who was not that accurate, whose play became worse rather than better and felt the media was hyping because they hyped. I agreed with you that in 2022 because I saw a guy whose tape against real competition failed to convince me he could start for a major college program. I can’t agree with you this time. I think he he will be drafted in the first round.
Oh and he was a two sport athlete that gave up Hockey to focus on football.
I have spent zero time watching JJ McCarthy video because I know I'm not qualified to evaluate players but let me ask this question... who would you rather have today on your team - Bryce Young or Will Levis?
I gotta go with Levis at this point. Young was supposed to be polished and NFL ready but he was terrible his forst year. I think Levis has more upside at this point.
Is it, though? When I watched Young I saw a small, pocket QB who didn't seem to have a big arm, didn't extend plays and didn't lift his team. Did the guy show anything last year?
With Geno and Sam the Seahawks have two competent QBs. Not great yet, but Howell is young, has NFL experience and grit. He’s probably as a good a prospect as any QB in the draft and the Hawks already have him. I just don’t see QB as a huge need for them. Build the trenches first and then maybe a late round/UDFA QB for competition/insurance against injury.
It's known I don't rate JJ. I only understand the buzz from the point of view that it makes clicks for the media, and his agent set to make a big payday. But because of teams like the Vikings backing themselves into a corner he could well go Rd1. Be we definitely won't have 5 QBs in the first 6 like some "experts" are predicting.
I still like Austin Reed as a late day 3 pick. Bring him along, let Howell win a legit camp battle, ship Geno to a needy team. After Howell does well ship him to a needy team too. Package all those picks up to go get Ewers next year. Reap the rewards!
Isn’t this whole McCarthy thing similar to Mac Jones? He was also not quite there on any of the NFL QB criteria but was good enough, and most importantly a winner. He also couldn’t be fairly judged bc he played for such a juggernaut, or so they said
This Mac Jones comp hit me when I saw someone’s mock draft today that had him going at #3 to (drum roll…) the Patriots. It literally stopped my read, bc it was so clear to me that JJ McCarthy and Mac Jones are the same guy.
So: if you’re Seattle, do you draft Mac Jones at #16?
Good question and situation comparison. Mac Jones was even highly regarded as a player who could read a defense and go through his progressions, whereas McCarthy's strengths seem more like being creative and throwing an intermediate dot over the head of a defender to the only spot his player could get it; if McCarthy played in an offense like Mac's at Alabama, he might have tallied up 40 touchdown passes too. I didn't really get into it, but McCarthy was surrounded by talent at Michigan and we'll never quite know how his successor would do with Jim Harbaugh. We know that all of his predecessors had good numbers and no NFL future. McCarthy may be much better than McNamara and Patterson, but those guys were like not even close to NFL talents. McCarthy's never been put in a disadvantageous situation before, which is why transferring would have been so fascinating. It's just questionable that he played at Michigan and now he's being hyped up for "what could have happened" instead of what actually happened. Total late 1st/2nd round pick type QB to me.
Yep, and honestly if that. For example if Seattle trades down and ends up with a pick like 42 or 44, and they pick McCarthy, doesn’t it leave you feeling sorta hollow?
Said another way, what is it about McCarthy that says he’s any better than Geno? Do you spend your 2nd rd pick on a younger Geno? So you have the next decade with Geno A and Geno B at the helm?
I don’t know man. The flier on Howell seems so much cheaper and so much higher ceiling doesn’t it?
Yogi was a Yogi 🧘♀️ The only quotes was Yogi’s. “When you get to the fork in the road take it”. “It’s deja-vu all over again”. “You can observe a lot just by watching”. So I think Yogi would have said something like this about evidence. “The proof is in the evidence”. May the 12s be with you.
Ya gotta believe what you hear with your eyes.
HA! And this: "Nobody goes there- it's too crowded"
The pre-draft QB hype distorts just about everyone’s perception (Seaside excepted). The 2024 class is no different: Getting away from the mocks and reading scouting reports gives me the impression that only Williams and Maye are true first-round talents.
BTW, of the nineteen QBs drafted in 2021-22, only the first (Trevor Lawrence) and last (Brock Purdy) chosen are expected to start in 2024.
Great article. The media hype bias is just silly. Remember what life was like before ESPN? It think that is how good GM’s operate just for the simple fact of how ridiculous it really is. I’m sure they all hear the rumors but I doubt they even pay attention. These people are pouring over tape and interviewing peoples aunts best friends cousin to find out what these guys are about.
Is McCarthy a good college QB on a great team or a great QB on an average team? I think he's a product of the media and the Michigan hype machine. He's the next Ridder,Willis, Levi's , Jones, Lance etc. I hope the Hawks don't waste a pick on him. At best a late 3rd round pick.
Hopefully the pro scouts don't fall into the media madness. But every year some QB gets way over drafted ! JJ may be the next.
I don't know if it is the media hype or not, but QB's almost always go earlier than expected. JJ McCarthy is just one of many who has been hyped for one reason or another, and ends up going earlier than expected. That is every year except two years ago when the media hype was JUST media hype. This year seems poised to end up with at least four and probably 6 QB's who will go in the first round. I'm taking bets.
I have these nice sunglasses to bet😎. Have a good day Stephen!
It just slays me that in the mind of the draftniks, McCarthy jumps to the 2nd or 3rd draft pick because….someone said so. No more games were played. No new tape was found. No teams made pro-McCarthy announcements. Just unsubstantiated hype.
If he’s available at 16, I hope the Seahawks don’t choose him. Either build a wall or get a true difference maker. Just don’t follow the hype.
Ok as a MICH fan who has watched JJ McCarthy over three seasons I feel like I have to say something here.
First, I agree with the conclusion that JJ should--because of the player that he is today and not for his potential--be drafted outside of the top 20.
But... you can't talk about JJ McCarthy without also talking about Harbaugh. Those two undeniably had a connection. Had Harbaugh stayed another year at MICH, JJ would have as well, and that would have done him a world of good in terms of his development. But with his mentor heading for the bigs and the opportunity there for JJ to go as well, he decided to do THAT having achieved everything he could at the NCAA level. Going out a national champion is pretty sweet, and no one is expecting MICH to repeat even if McCarthy had stayed.
So what about McCarthy the QB? In the last year or so I my assessment of JJ is that he would be a younger, probably smarter in terms of his football sense, version of Drew Lock. JJ is not a dual threat QB but is more than capable of making plays running the ball when needed, and he often got key 1st downs that way. Although he does not have the volume stats passing that it seems are expected of a Rd 1 QB, he can as they say "make all the throws". Watch the tape vs OSU (either year he beat them).
The thing you notice about McCarthy is how much he improved every year, playing some as a true freshman, winning the job in a competition straight up as a sophomore, and leading his team to the Natty as a junior.
I honestly think McCarthy's floor is Drew Lock, and his ceiling is a top 5 NFL QB. Harbaugh consistently favorably compared McCarthy to that guy he coached at Stanford. Had they spent another year together at MICH maybe McCarthy goes #1 next year like Andrew Luck did.
Will JJ be drafted "too high" this year based on what he has shown so far? Maybe. But if I was looking to take a chance on a QB who could be great down the road, knowing there is some development to do, I would definitely pick him from the middle of the first round on.
What I like about McCarthy most is how he throws the ball on the dead run- snaps his hips to align with the throw and zips it. He also makes the throws in the critical situations. Michigan could grind the ball because he could get them the critical third down. I think you are dead on why came out. It is hard as all get out to predict whether he will be great but there are things to like.
I’ve been asking same questions about him when so many said Seattle had to get him, in the first. He did not “jump” off the TV in the couple games I watched. It does sound a lot like the previous draft listed QBs. They are the homecoming kings so get extra attention. What is generally clear, most NFL GM coaches and scouts don’t pay a lot of attention to social media and the so called draft pundits. FYI just read title that Vikes may be interested in Rattler.
Personally, if I had to rank the QBs I want (and I am far from an expert):
1. Daniels
2. Penix
3. Williams
4. Nix
5. McCarthy
6. Maye
I'd be thrilled if the Hawks found a way to get Penix, but I don't know that any of them are generational talents. Williams gets the hype, and so did Trevor Lawrence. There just aren't many guys at the top level and it's hard to find them sometimes (Mahomes going 10th in his draft year).
I found it helpful to watch the "(insert QB name here) All Throws and Runs 2023 Season" on you tube when evaluating the QB's in this class. You get to see the good, bad and ugly from the major prospects without watching the entire game but also see down and distance and get to feel the game flow a little bit.
IN MY OPINION... I would rank the top 6 QB's: 1) Williams 2) Daniels 3) Penix 4) Nix 5) McCarthy 6) Maye. Williams is calm, athletic, and makes good decisions. Daniels would be number 1 but takes crazy hits too often, he's gonna RG3 his way out of the league if he's not careful. Penix looks amazing at times and a little sloppy at times. Nix is a good QB with a history of erratic play but in the right system could really have a good career. McCarthy does a nice job of staying in a throwing position, and keeps his eyes up-field. Maye looks like he needs to keep working on his game, but I see potential there. I would lump Williams and Daniels in tier 1. Penix, Nix, and McCarthy in tier 2. Maye in a tier closer to Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis. I hope we pass on QB's in this year's draft and look to stack the trenches and revamp the defense, then look for QB later. It makes more sense all the time to go get Sam Howell. In JSMM we trust!!!
Hopefully a GM with one of the first 15 picks doesn’t follow Seaside Joe and takes him first round.
Let me give you a counter argument to why McCarthy is rising beyond media hyping a quarterback for the sake of hyping a quarterback.
McCarthy had zero hype going into the season. The media did not think he was coming out for most of the season. His stats did not get people’s attention during the season. Finally he was not an athletic freak. So now attention is being paid and he is rising up boards.
And there are some reasons why that you left out. 1 he was a five star recruit coming out of high school and probably the best qb coming out of high school including Brady and Harbaugh that Michigan has signed. 2) Every year he has gotten better. 3) He was sought after because he can make all the throws and has been very well coached. 4) He excels throwing on the run. 4) The bigger the moment- 3rd down, 4th quarter, Ohio State, national championship semifinals and finals the better he plays.
I agreed with last year because I saw guy who was not that accurate, whose play became worse rather than better and felt the media was hyping because they hyped. I agreed with you that in 2022 because I saw a guy whose tape against real competition failed to convince me he could start for a major college program. I can’t agree with you this time. I think he he will be drafted in the first round.
Oh and he was a two sport athlete that gave up Hockey to focus on football.
I have spent zero time watching JJ McCarthy video because I know I'm not qualified to evaluate players but let me ask this question... who would you rather have today on your team - Bryce Young or Will Levis?
I gotta go with Levis at this point. Young was supposed to be polished and NFL ready but he was terrible his forst year. I think Levis has more upside at this point.
I love satire.
Is it, though? When I watched Young I saw a small, pocket QB who didn't seem to have a big arm, didn't extend plays and didn't lift his team. Did the guy show anything last year?
With Geno and Sam the Seahawks have two competent QBs. Not great yet, but Howell is young, has NFL experience and grit. He’s probably as a good a prospect as any QB in the draft and the Hawks already have him. I just don’t see QB as a huge need for them. Build the trenches first and then maybe a late round/UDFA QB for competition/insurance against injury.
It's known I don't rate JJ. I only understand the buzz from the point of view that it makes clicks for the media, and his agent set to make a big payday. But because of teams like the Vikings backing themselves into a corner he could well go Rd1. Be we definitely won't have 5 QBs in the first 6 like some "experts" are predicting.
I still like Austin Reed as a late day 3 pick. Bring him along, let Howell win a legit camp battle, ship Geno to a needy team. After Howell does well ship him to a needy team too. Package all those picks up to go get Ewers next year. Reap the rewards!