J.J. McCarthy Hype: Real or Smoke? | PFF

Steve and Sam could have literally made this video two minutes long and nothing would have been lost. Let me sum it up. They don’t understand what NFL gms, coaches, evaluators see in him that puts him ahead of Daniels or Maye. Guess we’ll find out.

Fun fact: As a sophomore in HS JJ McCarthy broke his thumb on his throwing hand before the State Championship game. Didn’t tell anyone. Passed for over 300 yards, 3 td, and won the Ship. Didn’t pound his chest on how tough he was. Simply played with a broken thumb on his throwing hand and “did his job.”

Having a pro day like that from a QB in such a run heavy offense is impressive. Answer's alot of questions on throws he'd be able to make in an NFL offense. I think JJ will continue to surprise people.

One of the problems I have with Drake Maye is how did he make his team better? How did he lead them? The only game I hear about is their loss in the Holiday Bowl in 2022. But Oregon had nothing to play for in that game. And that year they started out hot and went 6-1 but they lost their last 3 games of the season and 2 of those games were winnable games. Maye inherited a team that went 8=4 and they had basically the same record. So what value did he add to that team? Then his team got worse and he had worse stats so everyone just made an excuse for that. Meanwhile, in a more difficult league in a more difficult QB spot, McCarthy went 27=1 in two seasons after taking away the QB spot from a guy who went 10-2 the year before.

JJ is a lot better than casual fans think. He was the best CFB QB on 3rd downs, under pressure and RPO's. People just look at the amount of times he threw the ball, but don't consider that he's also top 5 throwing to the middle of the field, has a great arm, is super accurate on regular throws and off his back foot, he can run and dominates the line of scrimmage. And he only threw 2 td's less than Drake Maye on a lot less throws oh, and h3 can run.

His throw on the run is better than anyone else coming out, something like 70.1 next closes was like 64...can't remember the exact numbers but he was by far the best throw on the run qb

Maybe they like JJ because he's tied for the 2nd best win record EVER with only 1 career loss. He has all the tools and all the leader traits teams want.

A year from now we’ll be talking about McCarthy and how he is the best qb from the draft

I saw / heard Josh Lucas (director of player personnel for the Bears under Ryan Pace) talking about JJ McCarthy back in December.
Back then, he was saying that he thought a lot of people would be surprised by how high McCarthy would go, and he talked about McCarthy's intangibles almost like he was the second coming of Tom Brady.
It stuck out to me because I had actually assumed that McCarthy would be something like a third-rounder based on his limited college production, but Lucas was talking about him like a definite top 15 pick who would probably wind up in the top 7 to 10.
So, whatever the truth is about McCarthy, I don't think this love for him is post-combine hype, I think it's based on stuff that was well known by people inside the league, but doesn't necessarily show on the tape.

hello somebody make the call he is ready now to make him happy to bother you in live-action now
Fun fact: As a sophomore in HS JJ McCarthy broke his thumb on his throwing hand before the State Championship game. Didn’t tell anyone. Passed for over 300 yards, 3 TDs, and won the Ship. Didn’t pound his chest on how tough he was. Simply played with a broken thumb on his throwing hand and “did his job.” I saw/heard Josh Lucas (director of player personnel for the Bears under Ryan Pace) talking about JJ McCarthy back in December. Back then, he was saying that he thought a lot of people would be surprised by how high McCarthy would go, and he talked about McCarthy's intangibles almost like he was the second coming of Tom Brady. It stuck out to me because I had actually assumed that McCarthy would be something like a third-rounder based on his limited college production, but Lucas was talking about him as a definite top-15 pick who would probably wind up in the top 7 to 10. So, whatever the truth is about McCarthy, I don't think this love for him is post-combine hype, I think it's based on stuff that was well-known by people inside the league but doesn't necessarily show on the tape. Maybe they like JJ because he's tied for the 2nd best win record EVER with only 1 career loss. He has all the tools and all the leadership traits teams want. The media has been shorting on JJ but NFL scouts have been raving about him so much he is now a top 5 pick Thor also had Malik Willis as an elite
I'm hoping McCarthy is to the Vikings. I like his pocket presence and ability to throw under pressure. IMO, the Vikings would be the best place because KOC will work with him and he won't get thrown to the wolves until he is ready. Plus, he will have weapons such as another JJ. We saw this last year with Will Levi’s. I’m not trusting shit until draft day Very good point by Sam about checking the incentives of the source. Jerod Mayo has every reason to hype up Maye if he wants Daniels because of Pat's draft position. On the flip side though, Washington at 2 dont have a strong incentive in place to lie about their love for JJ McCarthy. So if that rumor about JJ at 2 is coming from an inside source with WAS Im more likely to give it credence. I think one of the QB-needy teams is putting on the greatest smoke job ever seen to try and get Maye or Daniel’s past pick 6.

What has changed from now and the end of the college season that has made McCarthy so much better? I don’t understand how he could rise so much without being a smokescreen.

The media been shorting on JJ but NFL scouts have been raving about him so much he is now a top 5 pick

I know JJ doesn't have the attempts these other guys have but almost every metric he is at least close if not better then every QB in the draft. Completion percentage, qbr, third down percentage(best) throwing on the run(best), playing against the best defenses cumulatively, playing and winning big games. These are stats you can't ignor! Threw 3 tds in the most important game of the season against a ridiculous D in Alabama! 2 of their backs are going first round! Got hammered in that game after throwing a 30 yard dime falling backwards while getting slammed by the best edge in CF! How can anyone argue these facts.. They are in film.. Just watch him.. The talent is there so don't make it sound like it so absurd he's going early first round!

The most smoke of the century!!! I hope Washington takes JJ! lol

Thor also had malik willis as elite

Total smokescreen. This is just sad.

I'm hoping McCarthy to the Vikings. I like his pocket presence and ability to throw under pressure. IMO, the Vikings would be the best place because KOC will work with him and he won't get thrown to the wolves until he is ready. Plus, he will have weapons such as another JJ.

Very good point by Sam about checking the incentives of the source. Jerod Mayo has every reason to hype up Maye if he wants Daniels because of the Pats draft position. On the flip side though, Washington at 2 dont have a strong incentive in place to lie about their love for JJ McCarthy. So if that rumor about JJ at 2 is coming from an inside source with WAS Im more likely to give it credence.

As a Chargers fan I’m praying for the smoke screen to work, if not, I’d still be okay trading away the 5, no one else at 5 but Marv

We saw this last year with will Levi’s. I’m not trusting shit until draft day

I stg one of the qb needy teams is putting on the greatest smoke job ever seen to try and get maye or Daniel’s past pick 6

All that matters is what the 32 GMs think and none of us know.

It's a miracle for the teams at #5 through #32 or whatever. All of the top non qb's get pushed down the board where they will make teams that take them better. Meanwhile, the teams that take the top 4 qb's? They have a 3 in 4 chance of missing on the pick and going through 4 years of BS trying to get in position again to waste another year of draft capital trying to get an overhyped college qb. "It won't happen to me" said the GM. Excuse me, but it happens to everybody.

2021 Draft qb class all over again. titanic is about to sink again lol

Look, I've got nothing bad to say about JJ. I like his intelligence and I really like his athleticism. But - I just don't get how people are projecting him as the number 1 or 2 pick overall and are comparing him to Stroud (Charles Davis just did this). I live in Michigan and have seen both play throughout their college careers. Stroud's throwing ability was consistently elite: snappy release, perfect placement, top shelf velocity, immediate and correct reads, accurate in the mid to long range, lots of yards and TDs. JJ didn't have any of that. Now of course that doesn't mean that he wouldn't have done it if given the opportunity, but Michigan was a Run and Defense driven team, that was well managed by JJ's opportunistic athleticism and careful throws - so we just don't know. To me, he looks more like a second to third rounder - which isn't an insult but a sensible placement based on his college performance. Dak, Kirk and Russ were lower round picks that turned out to be good starting QBs so I hope he surprises us, but I will be utterly shocked if say, he goes to the Vikes, starts his first year, and puts up a rating and numbers comparable to Kirk's.

The LEAGUE loves the way he hands the ball off

I think there is 5 qbs that could all end up being similar past mahomes 2.0 at 1st pick. I think Drake looks like Hurbert to me which is a good sign and the talk is similar to, i like daniels 3rd and Penix 4th and the others can go any order after

I’ve been searching for a wow throw from Drake Maye for a while now. A throw or run that shows me how he is in any way comparable to the guys they mention when talking about him (Josh Allen, Justin Herbert). I still haven’t found it. I’ve seen some fine deep balls, but I guarantee if you put on Sam Howell highlights you’ll see just as many solid deep balls. I’ve seen him throw a TD with his left hand and another one while being tackled.
I have not seen a single throw that puts him in that elite category of arm talent and he certainly doesn’t run at an elite level.
I honestly feel like I’m being gaslit about this guy. His highlight tapes are near 20 min long and I think every throw on there could be made by your avg NFL starter.
Maybe he’ll be good, I know nothing. But if you are telling me Caleb Williams has elite traits I’d say I agree and they show up on hundreds of plays that I’ve watched.

I hope he goes top 5 I want my bears to take odunze at 9

I understand some coaches boost their players. But let’s say urban Meyer day says our QB is the best ever. But urban never played QB and only coached in NfL 2 years and failed.
Then compare that to harbaugh. He played QB in colleges and NFL. He coached in college and NfL and was successful at all levels.
When he said Andrew luck was a stud He was right.
He also said Jared Allen was a really good QB when other analyst were saying he played at Wyoming He’s not that good.
Harbaugh didn’t say shea Patterson , Jake ruddock , Wilton sleight were the best QB at Michigan. Even he said Cade mcnamara was good but not the best.
He only said JJ was the best to come out of Michigan. And he said he was the best choice in the draft because penix. Caleb and Jayden and drake all are 3 years older with a heavy pass offense that’s why their data and stats look better.
But none of the QBs won anything. Caleb had amazing stats. Didn’t win a conference or a title
Jayden didn’t win a conference or title.
Penix won a conference but didn’t do well against good defenses. Penix faced only 2 good defenses. Oregon and Michigan.

Actually LSU coach let it slip at the end of the pro day that Jayden Daniels is going to washington

Do you mistrust JJ because you couldn't put numbers on his performance as readily as you could the other top prospects? The Pro Day was important for him to show more of his throwing ability since he was in an offense that didn't need to pass much.

They liked Zach Wilson as well how did that worked out 😂

I think McCathy is the only one worthy of real discussion afrer C. Williams. This kid is the only one who played at the highest level against the best competition in college 2 yrs running coached by a pro coach pushing this kid to orchestrate a national title. That is pressure. There is nothing wrong with this kid's game it is just that he is young and he did not get a chance to throw a lot in college. He still had to manage Harbaugh offense! I think Harbaugh woukd take him at 5 if he did not have Justin Herbert. This kid has the best chance of sticking around the NFL for a long time.

Oh Amazing Pro Days, a Jets fans fear 😭😔

I want JJ to work with BT12 to improve his skills. I see JJ clips how hard he been working with personal trainers. I believe he is the winner attitude and willing to work hard. Team, Team that why Michigan win the National Championship this because everyone working hard to achieve their gold. NFL sometimes you have one or two diva who want more attention or speak their mouth when things did go their way. Did you see any Michigan players complaining when things got bad or people didn’t believe in them? No.

Forget putting stock in Pro day look at history and only at history what stuck out when these QB s were in live action against quality defenders THE END !

Michigan Boosters are boosting J.J. McCarthy draft stock.

Floor = Drew Lock mixed with Desmond Ridder
Ceiling = Brock Purdy with wheels

People think JJ is good because he was on the best team in college football.

Smokescreen. Vikings want Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye to fall to them instead of JJ MacCarthy

Most J.J. detractors look no further than the smallish number of throws and the great natty-winnng team and say his stats are poor/not enough throws to pass juddgment on his skills, and lots of dudes played QB on great teams and failed misierably in the NFL. Thos are not valid or rational ways to evaluate a QB. What other guys who led great teams to the natty did or didn't do has notihing to do with J.J.'s level of talent. It's a complete irrelevancy.. Then, 332 throws is enough to tell if he can throw the football, and to say he must throw it 600 times before his QB skills can be ascertained. J.J. had a 73% completion rate this past season for third down throws that produced first downs or TDs. That was a full 20% better than Maye, and about 30% better than Williams, Penix, and Nix. That's a fine indicatior of how those five guys rate as NFL prospects. J.J. has been consistently under-hyped, his shining star hidden underneath the bushel basket ot the Blue run game. We are only now getting proper relative evaluations of his talent level.

I feel like he's a mobile Jimmy G if Jimmy G ever stopped throwing INT-worthy passes over the middle of the field

I hope everyone belief you guys so my Vikings can get JJ for 11 or 23

This will be longer than any KRplus comment should be but if you're a fan of a team that may take JJ and want an unbiased view...here ya go.
This is from a Michigan guy that, believe it or not, watches the game as objectively as possible. To prove this real quick, this channel and others will show I absolutely pounded the table for Stroud last year. He was easily the best QB in the draft and him playing at Ohio State didn't influence what I saw from him. I don't care where a guy played once he goes pro.
Ok, I'll give a very quick assessment of JJ, followed by the bad and thn finish with the good. I'll probably be more specific with the bad because it's what you have to focus on with a franchise QB (what do you have to work on with your new QB).
Quick Assessment:
My view hasn't changed in the last 2 years, I think JJ is a 1st round developmental QB. I do not see him as a Day 1 starter if your goal is to win right away, help JJ and help your franchise.
Extremely gifted player and AWESOME person that has some issues that concern me. I'll end this part by saying the knock he gets for "not throwing enough" is total BS. It's the system he played in and if you wonder why Michigan ran so much to beat PSU you didn't watch the game. It's not due to JJ being bad or untrustworthy but the PSU defense. Anyway...
The Bad:
First issue that concerns me is general field assessment. He often breaks the huddle knowing exactly where he's going with it and it takes a lot to get him away from it, be it pressure or tight coverage. Even then he'll force a lot of throws because he has the arm to do it and knows it. Most of his few mistakes came from not reading the defense at all and just letting it rip on a predetermined target (TCU and BGSU games are prime examples).
Further, he'll often miss the easy play for the harder play...even when the end result is positive. A quick example that comes to mind is a TD he throws in the 2022 B1GCG vs Purdue. He takes the snap, has a wide open WR on the underneath cross, doesn't see it, rolls to his right and makes a much harder throw to a TE in the end zone. If he sees the WR he lobs it out front and it's a all-in TD.
Second concern is his throw selection. He has to learn that a target 5 yards downfield does not need a laser thrown at him.
Klatt said that there are passers and throwers. I agree entirely and JJ is currently still a thrower. I will admit that he does a lot better in the intermediate but struggles with this on short and deep throws.
When pressured he can panic a bit. This past season was a bit 50/50 in that regard where he has games that show amazing pocket awareness and others where he just runs around like a wild stallion. Specifically, he seems addicted to this blind spin to his left that either totally gets him out of trouble or gets him into massive trouble. No inbetween. It always breaks him free for a huge play, gets him crushes or forces him to do something scary in a panic.
Third, He was asked to throw the short out a lot and I think it's his least consistent throw. He tends to sail it or throw it at the shoelaces a lot, only completing them about 61% of the time, lower than his average. Push it 6-18 yards and he's quite good at it but the shorter stuff is where he struggles a bit with placement and the out is where it really shows.
Fourth, he had a tendency to try to get back his mistakes and it has led to another mistake in the two mlst glaring examples, TCU (his only loss as a starter) and 2023 BGSU (his worst game as a college QB). In both games he makes a mistake and follows it up with another soon after by trying to make up for it immediately. Though, he did get away from that as the year went on. I'll give him that. He shows that he CAN and does learn, an amazing trait in your rookie QB.
That's about it for the concerns.
The Good:
First, he's a natural leader and terrific person. Old school QB. You won't have locker room issues with JJ as a person or player. He'll be a leader in your city and if you need the dude to play WR to win games he'll play WR without a question. Play hurt? Yup.
Trade stats for wins? Yup.
Get along with another QB on the team that's a total A-hole to him for no reason beyond their own hurt ego? Yup.
Etc.
Second, sneaky mobility. Gym rat mobiliy, lol. Kidding aside, very athletic.
Third, can make every throw.
Fourth, a magician while on the run. May even be a better thrower off platform than stationary. It's crazy how surgical he is when throwing from a full sprint.
Fifth, on the run or in the pocket he is lethal in the intermediate. From 7-24 yards out he'll dice defences up. He'll make throws that don't even look possible until you see the reply. He needs to work on short and deep but those aren't awful ss much as...they need work. Intermediate? An assassin.
If I pointed out two bad games above, in this section I'll end by pointing out some good ones.
Watch OOC 2023 games that aren't BGSU. Watch Nebraska. Watch MSU! He absolutely carved up MSU. He makes one throw for a TD that causes the NBC crew to gasp and say "oh, my..." in shock. All three OSU games he played in. As a Freshman he comes in cold to throw a 25 yard dart down the home sideline. At Columbus in 2022 he plays a flawless 2nd half in every aspect. In 2023 he plays injured and makes some amazing throws.
Conclusion:
You're getting an A+ person that, IMO, shouldn't be thrown into the fire day one unless you are ok growing with him.
At Michigan, Jim basically told him that the only way they lose is if the QB make a mistake...so don't. JJ then learned this fact in the TCU game, HIS ONLY LOSS AS A STARTER IN COLLEGE. He makes two bad throws and that's the game. He makes a lot of amazing throws and plays but those two cost them the game. So when you watch his tape you see a lot of a QB taking what he knows should be there before the snap. He was overwhelmingly right overall but at times he missed better opportunities due to not wanting to make a mistake (IMO). In The NFL you can't miss those easier opportunities.
If he goes to the right team he'll be a star! Dude has the ability to be a HOF QB one day but I'm not sure it's right away. If Washington takes him 2, starts him immediately and sees how it goes I wouldn't be surprised if they have a star or bust 4 years from now. He's as resilient as they come but if you don't have a chance to grow...it's a massive obstacle.
If you give him to a great QB/offensive coach and sit him for a year you'll have a 22yo star. Remember, he just turned 21yo. He's young. You can afford to sit him a year.
So Im truly 50/50 about the pre-Draft hype showing him all the way up to #2. I buy it because I promise you that he CRUSHED every interview. For sure. I'm wary of it because if you want Maye or Daniel's and you're sitting around 3-7...JJ is the only QB you can inflate the value of to get a team above you to take the bait. JJ is PRIME for being the guy teams inflate for strategy reasons for every positive I listed above.
I'll shut up by saying he could go 2 or 20 and it won't surprise me either way. Regardless of when, where is important. VERY important.

PFF i am saying it now Caleb Williams will be ok pro will never go to the SB

This years will Levis.
Maye is this years Stroud.

2 & Wylie for 11,23,2025 1 +4, Darrisaw.. THEN…
11,23,2025 1 +4, Dyami Brown for 4 & 27.. take McCarthy at 4..pick up a young LT and additional 1st, still get a top QB!
Daniels only had 1 good year, his flaws are massive and not as coachable.. McCarthy is 2 years younger and already better

Pro days are for the coaches/ GM to see how the other players react to the QB, what the QB does between passes, etc.
McCarthy turned 21- 12 days after the National Championship! 4.4-low 4.5 speed, 61 MPH ‘max velocity’ pass at the combine (record is 62 mph), 5th fastest 3 cone at the combine (out of all positions) .. Daniels had 1 good year..his first 4 he never had better numbers than McCarthy did at age 20!

Fields still has an opportunity to be a damned good QB,.
Steve Young took awhile,..
Fields is an athletic Freak,.
Only Da Bears give up on THAT~
If I were a Steelers fan I couldn't be happier with my qb situationa and what I gave up to get it~

Why did people love Drake Maye so much in the first place?

Smoke

I don't know which team is pulling the strings, but the McCarthy pump job has become the greatest misinformation campaign I've ever seen.

Zach Wilson hype train

JJ will not be a 2.0 of any other player. He is very unique. 27-1, very smart, great team player, very fast and can make every throw. His only "negative" is that his "denominator" (# of pass attempts) is lower than other QBs, in part because he never even played a down over the age of 20.
He has always been at the top of NFL Boards. Media "Experts" have not been paying attention this fact until the last 3 weeks.

I Hate the Way Fans Look at pro Days....It is basically a personally interview...throwing in Shorts with no Defense.....Who cares?? Best pro day ever wasJamarcus Russell That says it all...

most of the guts that climb after the season ends are busts

JJ's super athletic and Fast,.He has a fantastic arm,.
He's Younger than the other qbs by 2 years,.
He's going to be 230lbs in 2 yrs,..219 lbs NOW,.
His character and face is Franchise Material,.
He's Dedicated,.He wants to be Great,.
Why you WOULDN'T pick JJ McCarthy in the Top 5 is what PUZZLES me???
These guys aren't that BRIGHT if they think they're evaluators of TALENT~

Are GMs really boosting(consciously or subconsciously) QB prospects grades because they ran a "pro style" offense in college? None of the teams in the Championship round ran a traditional pro style offense. Honestly at this point the term "pro style" is almost meaningless.

He is farther in the wind

It’s lying season and Drake May is falling… therefore most teams have May 2nd

It’s Michigan Boosters that’s paying for this draft stock rise

Its not real bros. The Vikings are screwing themselves hard. It's over for them. OVER.

JJ is not going number 2

bro lying season is 24/7/365

worst case scenario is he's a super-sized Brock Purdy. That's his floor. His ceiling, with the right organization, is Aaron Rogers. The Washington fanbase will not like him regardless. Stay away from there at all costs.

The Commandos are a confused organization. There is too many cooks in the kitchen there. Too much outside influence on this team. It would be an accident of pure chance if they land the right QB...

This is Will Levis 2.0

Bears, Broncos and Vikings QBs will succeed. Commanders, Patriots and Raiders QBs will fail.

JJ McCarthy has a couple of things going against him according to all the pundits. 1. He's a winner. Your team is supposed to lose according to all the experts. You are supposed to throw for 300 and 400 yards as your team loses to show how great you are. 2. You are supposed to have empty stats which mean very little. Because lots of empty stats mean you are really great. (Of course in the pros the object is to win games. Not to throw for a gazillion yards and touchdowns. Just win baby)

I pray he doesnt go to Washington. Please go to the Vikings. Commanders is an organization destined to fail.

Bust

Biggest waste of time video ive ever seen. Doesn't answer the question at all. Lays things out that the viewer already knows. Nothing to be gained from this.

If JJ was black he’d be the #1

I'd take JJ McCarthy over Williams any day of the week. I wouldn't want the baby who goes and cries in his mommy arms after a loss.

He's a pure hype train

One of the problems I have with Drake Maye is how did he make his team better? How did he lead them? The only game I hear about is their loss in the Holiday Bowl in 2022. But Oregon had nothing to play for in that game. And that year they started out hot and went 6-1 but they lost their last 3 games of the season and 2 of those games were winnable games. Maye inherited a team that went 8=4 and they had basically the same record. So what value did he add to that team? Then his team got worse and he had worse stats so everyone just made an excuse for that. Meanwhile, in a more difficult league in a more difficult QB spot, McCarthy went 27=1 in two seasons after taking away the QB spot from a guy who went 10-2 the year before.