MAIZE & BIG BLUE?
Michigan's McCarthy an intriguing QB option for Giants in draft
INDIANAPOLIS — Most of these quarterbacks recall who they met with and have an obligatory nice comment about the team and the coaches and the whole entire process.
J.J. McCarthy rises above the usual recanting of the sitdowns with the teams here at the NFL Scouting Combine. There is plenty of interest in exploring one of the winningest and most difficult-to-grade prospects in this draft. McCarthy on Friday was hit with a barrage of inquiries about who he spoke with and he was able to provide distinct details about every meeting. Raiders head coach Antonio Piece had “great energy.’’ Kevin O’Connell of the Vikings “was a lot taller than I thought.’’ Jerod Mayo of the Patriots “asked great questions.’’ On and on it went, McCarthy showing a keen sense of the importance of these job interviews with prospective employers.
The Michigan quarterback this week had a formal meeting with the Giants and noticed that Brian Daboll and his staff wanted to make him feel as if he already were part of the team.
“I drew up a play that I can run in every situation — third down, fourth down, first and second, all that good stuff,’’ McCarthy said. “And then the coaches were kind of changing my verbiage and making it their own. It was really nice to kind of get a feel of what that offense would be like and it was actually a lot more simple.’’
Will McCarthy ever get to use that Giants verbiage?
It seemed like a stretch not long ago that McCarthy to the Giants at No. 6 would be quite a reach. The top tier at the position of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye could come off the board with the first three picks and none of the three are likely to be available for the Giants if they stay put. The next tier is McCarthy and Bo Nix. Michael Penix Jr. is an eye-of-the-beholder prospect and most draft prognosticators will be surprised if he is taken in the first round. The Giants next month could look for the successor to Daniel Jones.
There is no denying McCarthy is a winner. He went 27-1 as a starter in his three years at Michigan, going 3-0 against hated rival Ohio State, guiding the Wolverines to the first 15-0 record in Big Ten history, as Michigan won the national championship for the first time since 1997. In high school, McCarthy went 26-2 at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park, Ill., and 8-0 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. That is 61-3 for McCarthy.
The question arises as to how much credit McCarthy should get for all the success in Ann Arbor. McCarthy in three years at Michigan attempted 713 passes. Compare that to Nix, who started his college career at Auburn and ended it at Oregon. Nix in five years for two schools attempted 1,936 passes. The volume of throws for Nix allows for a full and complete evaluation.
“Stats for me wasn’t really the
big thing,’’ McCarthy said. “All I cared about was being the best teammate I could possibly be, being the best quarterback I could possibly be, whatever’s asked of me and the only stat I cared about was ‘Ws’ and we did pretty good in that category.’’
Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Chargers, identified a formula to victory and McCarthy took the keys and drove the Wolverines home. McCarthy threw 332 passes in 2023. Nix threw 470.
“We were going to run the ball and if you can stop it we might have to pass it more,’’ AJ Barner, Michigan’s 6-foot-6 tight end, said. “I think it’s not a knock on J.J. at all. Most teams couldn’t stop the run. We passed effectively, too. We were going to have a balanced attack. Whether we asked J.J. to throw the ball 15 times or whether we asked him to throw it 45, he was completely capable and did a tremendous job either way.’’
McCarthy is not big — 6-foot-3 and only 202 pounds — and at 21 is the youngest of all the toprated quarterbacks. His size is not a plus for him but his age is.
McCarthy has attracted notice for his unusual pregame meditation routine. For 10 minutes during warmups, he sits cross-legged, leaning on the goalpost support, shoes off, hood covering his head, eyes closed. He also meditates for 30-40 minutes every morning.
“It’s just another tool that’s gonna help me handle the process and the pressure,’’ he said. “Something that’s going to help me in all areas of life, not just football.’’
McCarthy said he has “a little tight hammy’’ and so he will not participate in the 40-yard dash and long jump during the combine testing. He will throw.
His assessment of himself: “I would say a tough, gritty guy who only cares about winning at the end of the day. Loves the game of football with a burning passion, loves his teammates. Just pretty much everything you would want in a starting quarterback, I would say.’’