Michigan football: ESPN's Mel Kiper inconsistently ranks J.J. McCarthy
Michigan Wolverines junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a decision to make in the next month or so about his status for the 2024 NFL Draft. Most analysts are split on McCarthy heading into this draft cycle, especially with a less-than-desirable production rate over the last month of the season.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper, one of the bigger names in NFL Draft evaluations, recently said that he has McCarthy rated as his No. 7 QB in the class heading into the next round of scouting. USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are considered the consensus top two players at quarterback, but everyone else is lobbying for the position.
“[An intriguing wild card at quarterback is] Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who has been one of the most difficult evaluations of this entire class,” Kiper said. “He has the tools to be in the mix for that No. 3 QB spot, but he just didn’t convince me down the stretch. Where were the “wow” throws? I didn’t see him go through progressions much. Sure, he only had four interceptions, but three of those came against … Bowling Green? Plus, he wasn’t asked to beat teams with his arm, partly because the Wolverines blew out all of their opponents until November.
“It’s clear McCarthy has a ton of talent, but not all NFL teams are going to be in love with him, which means he could drop to Day 2. I have him as my No. 7 QB right now.”
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Kiper said days later that McCarthy was his No. 5 quarterback, ranking him behind Williams, Maye, Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders, and LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Regardless, it seems most have McCarthy in that 5-7 range at quarterback right now. The Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora recently ranked him sixth with feedback from an NFL scout.
He said:
It struck many people as odd how little he has been asked to throw the football as the Wolverines soared up the national rankings and cruised to a Big Ten title. That was true even against lesser programs; in the middle stage of the season, McCarthy had 23 passing attempts against Maryland, 17 against Indiana and 20 against Minnesota. “But people really like him,” the evaluator said. “I hear what you’re saying, but they really like him. I think he goes [in the first round]. [Coach Jim] Harbaugh knows how to get him ready to play up here. He’s got one of the best lines in the country and one of the best running games in the country. … So the coach wants to run the ball and play it safe. I don’t think that will keep him out of the first round.”
McCarthy finished the regular season with 2,630 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He and Michigan are back in action on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl against Alabama
