Analyst details J.J. McCarthy, other Michigan stars' pro day performances

The Michigan Wolverines held their annual pro day in Ann Arbor with 22 players participating in the event, headlined by quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The talented signal-caller has a shot to be selected early on in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his workout Friday may have solidified it.

Media access to the pro day event was limited to analysts from ESPN and NFL Network, in addition to the 150-plus front office and NFL personnel. ESPN’s Matt Miller was among those in attendance and detailed what he saw from the Michigan quarterback.

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“I thought his workout went very well,” Miller said on SportsCenter. “It was a 25-minute throwing session around 60 throws. And I think my biggest takeaway was it was better than his performance at the NFL scouting combine was there. We saw him struggle at times throwing to his left, struggled a little bit with touch throws today. It was crisp. He missed, I counted two misses.

“I think he would tell you he maybe missed three or four of those, where I thought those were drops, but it was super clean. And I think showed the arm talent. The velocity was absolutely there. There were times where he’s rolling, throwing off platform. There was a great deep throw off his back foot while on the roll, showing you some of the arm strength that he has.

“But when I talked to JJ, he wanted to hit the touch passes. He wanted to hit the deep outs. He wanted to hit some of the underneath option routes. Those were perfect today. And I think that is a big step up from what we saw in Indianapolis. Now the test will come with the private workouts that he has with NFL teams, but the momentum is still very much building.

“And I talked to a GM today. There were plenty of them here who think that he is still in play very much as a top-six pick in this year’s draft.”

The day was not all about McCarthy, though. Plenty of Michigan stars had a shot to show off for the NFL, namely running back Blake Corum. While much of his game at running back has been known, it was what he did as a pass catcher that may add a layer of intrigue to his draft stock.

“Corum, the running back had a chance to put on a show,” Miller said. “What was most interesting was he really stood out as a pass catcher today. He was featured heavily during McCarthy’s throwing workout and not just on traditional running back routes, but moving from the slot, working down the field. So it was a very, very smooth day for Blake, who did well in pass-protection drills, did well in running back drills, but really as a receiver is what stood out the most.”

Wide receiver Roman Wilson has positioned himself to be taken somewhat early in the event, likely on day two when the second and third rounds roll along. But the Michigan wideout has a chance to slide late into the first round.

“Roman is just a professional and that showed up today as well,” Miller said. “Had a chance to talk with him. He knows his versatility from the slot from playing outside is very important. I didn’t see him drop a single pass today. And he is another guy in play. I think he is a top-40 selection in this year’s class. Even with a very, very deep wide receiver group. He’s right there in the mix with players like [South Carolina’s] Xavier Leggette and [Florida State’s] Keon Coleman to be a player at the top of round two, maybe sneaks his way into late round one after a strong workout today.”

One of the bigger surprises of the day was the news that defensive back Mike Sainristil, who was one of the standouts at his position at the NFL Combine, ran some routes and got work in at wide receiver.

“[He still] did defensive back drills, but Mike actually went and ran routes for McCarthy as well. But throughout the DB drills, you see the agility, the footwork, and he knows his money in the NFL is going to come from being a nickel corner. We’ve talked about that. He sees himself as a nickel in the mold of guys like [Indianapolis Colts DB] Kenny Moore and [Buffalo Bills DB] Taron Johnson. He had a great workout showing that short area quickness and agility. That will be a hallmark of his NFL career.”