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Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is a gamer, embodying what Jim Harbaugh is looking for in a leader of his offense. McCarthy progressed as much as any quarterback in the country a season ago. Once viewed as a liability on the team, McCarthy became Mr. Reliability, keeping defenses on their toes with his passing and rushing capabilities.
The Michigan offense will flow through the running game. McCarthy keeps the defense honest and stops them from loading 8-9 defenders in the box. McCarthy throws a frozen rope of a football and is capable of huge plays in the passing game.
Arguably, McCarthy outplayed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud, when the Wolverines and the Buckeyes collided. He performed well in the National Semi-Finals, illustrating his ability to play his best in the biggest games.
McCarthy is far from a perfect pro prospect and has a lot of work to do. Let's put J.J. McCarthy under the lens and analyze what type of NFL prospect he is.
Strengths
- McCarthy has great athleticism and is sneaky quick, which allows him to convert with his legs in tight spots.
- He has a strong, lively arm that can make difficult throws.
- He showed excellent improvement in 2022.
- He developed intangibles in 2022 and became a leader on the team.
- He is ideal for the West Coast offense.
- He is a clutch performer who plays his best when the game is on the line.
- His play-action passing and defensive manipulation are exceptional.
Weaknesses
- McCarthy's decision-making must improve, as he forces the ball into traffic and tight windows. At the next level, these tendencies will result in turnovers.
- His footwork needs to improve. McCarthy relies on his arm strength to a fault and must improve fundamentally to avoid critical mistakes.
- Weighing in under 200 lbs, McCarthy has a small frame that could result in injury at the NFL level. He would benefit by bulking up 20 lbs.
- He has to tighten up his ball security. He tends to lay the ball on the turf too often.
- He must develop a better feel on deep passes and doesn't put enough loft on passes down the field.
Overall
J.J. McCarthy has opened the Michigan offense, and now the Wolverines have their most balanced attack in years. McCarthy has an NFL-caliber arm but makes the type of errors that can cost you the game at the next level.
McCarthy needs to rework some of his mechanics, from his habit of throwing off balance with sloppy footwork to putting too much velocity on the ball when putting more air under it is the better play. McCarthy also has to get bigger. He has a similar frame to Bryce Young without his uncanny upside.
McCarthy could take a leap forward in 2023 and advance his draft stock into the second-day conversation, but for now, he is a late-day three pick as an NFL backup/project.
