2024 NFL Draft: J.J. McCarthy worth the hype? Making case for, against taking rising QB prospect in top five

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Every NFL Draft has a wild card — a player who skyrockets up the board or plummets down. 

There were rumors Malik Willis could be in play for the Lions with the second overall pick in 2022. Instead he went 86th overall. Will Levis slid to the second round last year. On the flip side, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were top-three picks in 2021. Daniel Jones went sixth overall in 2019.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the clear wild card of the 2024 NFL Draft. The hype train in the last month has been a sight to behold.  He is a top-five pick in most mock drafts. Many, including former Vikings GM Rick Spielman, have linked McCarthy to the Vikings, who have the draft capital (No. 11 and No. 23 overall picks) to move up in the draft for McCarthy. Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh called him the best quarterback in this draft. 

So is McCarthy worth the immense hype? Before you say hard pass, here’s a case for both sides.

Case for McCarthy being worth the hype

The case for McCarthy being worth the hype, worth a top-five pick and worth a team like the Vikings, Raiders or Broncos trading up for goes something like this. 

One of the biggest selling points about McCarthy is the success he had in college. He went 15-0 and won a national championship at Michigan last season. His 27-1 record is the third best by a quarterback in FBS history. 

Record is more of a team stat than a quarterback stat, though, but McCarthy was also very efficient as a passer. He was sixth in completion rate (72%), ninth in pass efficiency (167.4) and third in ESPN’s Total QBR (89.2) last season. 

He was poised under pressure and made enough off-schedule throws, ranking top 10 in college football in completion rate (63%), yards per attempt (9.5) and pass efficiency (168.2) when pressured last year. 

Nobody was jumping off their couch with the arm strength and speed McCarthy flashed in college….

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-draft-j-j-mccarthy-worth-the-hype-making-case-for-against-taking-rising-qb-prospect-in-top-five/

Author : Douglas Clawson

Publish date : 2024-04-12 12:46:32

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