2024 Scouting Report: QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
By far the most controversial player in this year's draft, it will be interesting to see where he goes, both team and draft position. Could Jim Harbaugh and his friends from Michigan be right? Is JJM really the best QB in the class or is he just a game manager that capitalized on having a stellar team around him? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.
After going through the film I do not see what Jim Harbaugh was saying, just pumping up his own guys I suppose. Chargers fans this should concern you if he truly believes JJM is the best prospect in the class, and it’s not just him fluffing his former player’s draft stock. IF JJM finds himself in the top 16 players drafted you can almost guarantee Deion tries to pull off a similar stunt with Shedeur next offseason.
McCarthy was fortunate to never need to be ‘the guy’ in college. Fortunate for him because it allowed him to hide behind all of the other great things happening in Michigan. Unfortunately for his NFL career, he will likely need to take games over from time to time, which he hasn’t done since high school, likely.
In the tape, it was very clear to me that McCarthy follows a script as a game manager who happened to be working with a great coach. Receivers would be open as a result of an incredible run game and good scheme, not any magic that JJM would pull out of a hat the way the Burrow-Mahomes-Herbert types do. I think McCarthy is going to be in the NFL in the same capacity Bryce Young or Taylor Heinicke are, someone who can run a playbook the way it’s written down and be a product of their surroundings.
I never saw anything exciting from McCarthy’s work, which makes him the perfect QB to head an offense under a defensive-minded or run-first HC… Hello Arthur Smith. McCarthy will probably end up being the next Alex Smith, as many people are comparing him to today. Which isn’t terrible but looking back what did Alex Smith really do? Set the table for a team to draft a better QB and throw him to the side.
Prospect Grade: D
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End of preseason now and BOY OH BOY was I wrong about this… McCarthy had one of if not the best preseason debuts I have seen in my 10+ years of watching and 3+ years of scouting football. I’m sorry Jim Harbaugh, I was not familiar with your game. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see if this was a fluke performance or not as McCarthy is out for the 2024 season, but wow I was impressed.
McCarthy (11/17 for 188 yards, 2TD/1INT 2-18-0)was playing with a chip on his shoulder after all of the ‘game manager’ talk he’s been hearing about himself all off-season. This game was dictated by McCarthy, and after an early pick that seemed to settle him in rather than rattle him, he took over and dominated the Raider’s backup defense. McCarthy was delivering strike after strike after strike to his receivers, hitting them in-stride and accurately, working all phases of the field. I’m really impressed. Two things I’m apprehensive about calling this a total scouting failure and we all need to jump onto the McCarthy ship ASAP, are:
It was just one game, and that doesn’t mean he’s a changed quarterback, and much more importantly,
The Raiders pass defense might be horrendous this year. This whole game, really, was just two offenses throwing the ball over the top of defenders and it working, for AOC, Minshew, and even Sam Darnold looks like he’s going to have a career resurgence after this game. I’m cautiously optimistic about McCarthy now, but we have other things to focus on this year, we will revisit you 2025 JJ.
Prospect Re-grade: B+
