HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 219

HAND: 9⅜"

ARM: 31⅝"

WINGSPAN: 75⅞"

40-YARD DASH:

3-CONE: 6.82

SHUTTLE: 4.23

VERTICAL:

BROAD:

POSITIVES

— Above-average quickness and agility; nimble mover in and out of the pocket.

— Flashes ability to create from outside the pocket.

— Above-average accuracy when throwing the middle of the field, such as slants, glance routes and digs.

— Above-average toughness in the pocket; willing to take hits to get the ball out.

NEGATIVES

— One-speed thrower with average arm talent. Often fails to add arc and touch when necessary, especially outside the numbers.

— Below-average ability to throw late in the down or from uncomfortable platforms.

— Below-average processing and timing on anything but his first read.

2023 STATISTICS

— 14 G, 230-314 (73.2%), 2,851 YDS, 9.1 Y/A, 22 TD, 4 INT, 170.1 RTG; 60 ATT, 171 YDS, 3 TD

NOTES

— Born Jan. 20, 2003

— 5-star recruit in 2021, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— 26 career starts

— 2022 third-team All-Big Ten, 2023 first-team All-Big Ten

OVERALL

J.J. McCarthy is a point-and-shoot thrower over the middle with just enough creativity and athleticism to be interesting.

Michigan's offense did not put a lot on McCarthy's shoulders. A good chunk of the offense utilized play action to open up the middle of the field or motion to get man/zone indicators that McCarthy could use to throw the quick game.

To that end, McCarthy does well with those throws. He's at his best when he's throwing routes coming into his vision across the middle, throws that he can lead into space. Slants, glance routes, digs and intermediate crossers make up a majority of McCarthy's best throws on film. He also has the toughness and patience required to hang in the pocket on those play-action throws.

McCarthy has some juice outside the pocket as well. Although he isn't an elite athlete, McCarthy is a springy player who can often get himself out of trouble. That enables him to work outside the pocket and look for plays on the move, where he does fairly well.

However, McCarthy falls short in a lot of other ways from a physical perspective. At 202 pounds, McCarthy is terribly light for the position, which is especially concerning for someone who isn't a special athlete.

McCarthy's arm is also mildly concerning. He has the velocity to fit those throws moving over the middle, but that's it. McCarthy is a one-speed thrower who struggles to layer throws in, particularly down the field and outside the numbers. That's going to severely limit the design of any offense with him at the helm.

McCarthy also needs more work as a processor. He did fairly well with the pre-snap indicators Michigan's offense gave him, but when asked to progress and throw later in the down, McCarthy is very inconsistent both in terms of decision-making and accuracy.

McCarthy fits best in a Shanahan-style system that simplifies things pre-snap and leans into throws over the middle of the field with the help of play action. He has the requisite arm talent and pocket toughness to function in that system. Even still, McCarthy will take time to develop his ability to progress from the pocket and, hopefully, add weight and strength.

GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player — 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 33

POSITION RANK: QB4

PRO COMPARISON: Baker Mayfield

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

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