“You’re gonna be….quarterback”: Touching video captures J.J. McCarthy's father predicting his future as QB before his birth

J.J. McCarthy is expected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL draft. There's quite the buzz around the quarterback, as everyone has a keen interest in knowing where he eventually lands.

For his father, Jim McCarthy, this is a dream come true. He already predicted his son’s future before he was born, saying he will be a quarterback. In a home video that surfaced recently, Jim was seen telling McCarthy’s mother that he’d be a quarterback while she was in the labor room.

“I like Jonathan James and I want to call you J.J,” Jim McCarthy said referring to his unborn baby while speaking to his wife. “I like those names, they’ll call J.J. You’re gonna be Daddy’s little quarterback.”

J.J. McCarthy only knew about the video six months ago

On “The Rich Eisen Show,” J.J. McCarthy disclosed that he was not aware of the video for a long time. He disclosed that his father had only shown him the video six months ago. The public playing on the show also marked the first occasion he shared the video with anyone else.

“I was just like, ‘How come I didn’t see this early?’” McCarthy said. “He said, ‘I was just waiting.’ He’s a patient guy.”

Years after the video was made, McCarthy is poised to become an NFL quarterback following his stellar time at Michigan. He is widely expected to be the fourth quarterback picked in the draft, following Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.

J.J. McCarthy Draft Projection

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 219 pounds, J.J. McCarthy has the prototypical NFL quarterback size. Having led Michigan to the national championship, he's definitely a quarterback teams have paid a lot of attention to.

While he is an impressive talent, there are still some concerns about his game that may determine where he drops in the draft.

It's worth mentioning that numerous clubs in need of quarterbacks are willing to trade up to get the best available players. McCarthy's draft value has risen dramatically, with some analysts projecting him as a top-5 pick. Other experts predict him to be a mid-first-round choice.

Michigan's system was based on the running game and solid defense. A system that is considered to be conservative per NFL standards. It remains to be seen how McCarthy copes with the NFL's generally expansive offense. This is why some analysts have him in the mid-10s.