J.J. McCarthy will likely hear his name heard early in the 2024 NFL draft, but at least one offensive assistant is preaching patience with the Michigan product.

"He does have talent. People like his personality. He's a lot like [Drake] Maye. I think there's a long way to go for him," the coach told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. "On tape, he over-strides a lot. Everything is a flat, hard rocket-shot. You have to throw over guys and around guys and take something off. I do think he can do that, but I don't think it's his default. And when something is not your default, you really got to work on it to iron it in."

McCarthy was 28-1 over the last two seasons starting at Michigan. He led the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023 but was rarely tasked with foisting the team on his shoulders. Michigan regularly chose to pound the ball on the ground rather than attack through the air, which has led to some concern about McCarthy's NFL readiness.

McCarthy threw the ball for just 140 yards in the Wolverines' national title game win over Washington. In five games against ranked opponents last season, he threw for more than 150 yards just once.

Those questionable numbers have done little to quell McCarthy's draft hype, as he's expected to be a top-10 pick Thursday night. He's currently projected behind USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Maye, but he may go as high as No. 4 if the Arizona Cardinals decide to trade back.

The B/R Scouting Department has a far lower grade on McCarthy, ranking him No. 33 overall.