The NFL Scouting Combine is this week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and 18 Michigan players will be participating. And the spotlight will beam the brightest on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who seems destined to be a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.
McCarthy will be throwing at the combine, while other top quarterbacks won’t be. USC’s Caleb Williams isn’t, nor is LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. These quarterbacks are perceived by some to be ahead of McCarthy in the draft pecking order, but that’s far from decided. With a great showing at the combine, both in drills and during interviews, McCarthy’s stock could skyrocket.
Caleb Williams is a virtual lock to be drafted by the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall, Williams not throwing at the combine is logical as his destination is already decided. However, quarterbacks like Maye and Daniels could see McCarthy ascending above them in draft rankings if he wows evaluators at the combine while they are idle. Further, it’s disappointing to see a trend of top quarterbacks not throwing — where’s the competitive juice of battling it out with your peers? That’s the kind of thing that makes McCarthy a gamer.
While McCarthy’s stats aren’t as flashy due to being in a balanced and at times run-heavy offense, he did a lot more winning than Maye and Daniels. A national championship, a 27-1 record as a starter, a career completion percentage of 68 for 6,226 yards with 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions along with 632 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores. The arm strength is there, the leadership is there, and the football smarts are there as well.
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh used to call McCarthy “like a kid in a candy shop” with the enthusiasm he brought, and that trend will continue on Saturday afternoon when McCarthy slings the pigskin around at the combine.
