Going Through the Motions: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

Michigan quarterback (QB) J.J. McCarthy has been getting a lot of pre-draft hype, but First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst William Yanish isn’t buying it.

Football is the greatest team sport that exists and it’s not even close.

At the end of the day, it is which team that scores the most points before the clock runs out that walks away with the glory.

Sometimes I wonder just what football some are watching, or even if they’re watching the game at all. Every year there are some things that are said that are just completely off the wall.

For those of us lucky enough to work in it, there’s absolutely nothing like it anywhere. I can sit and talk about it all day long.

The point that I’m getting to is that no matter how long you wait, some programs don’t ever change. That brings me to my next victim.

Jonathan James “J.J.” McCarthy is a 6-foot-3 inch, 202-pound QB (quarterback) from the University of Michigan.

The Yanish Report

Slender, athletic body type. Off-beat, clappy moving mechanics. Good mobility. Classic happy-feet type footwork that is overly desperate. Slides through his progressions, keeping eyes downfield. Tunnel vision pops at times. Plain, average release. Throws best while moving. Side-arms some passes he doesn’t need to. Sells out running backs on RPO (run-pass option) plays. Utilizes TEs (tight-ends). Protects football. Ball placement needs refinement. Misses high a ton. Dependent on his teammate’s abilities. Not dominant in any capacity. Follows the game plan. Game manager.

For the win

As much as I wanted to do a Red Dawn: WOLVERINES!!! theme in this evaluation, I just can’t. It would have been fun. Those things are fun when the prospect fits them, but not this time.

McCarthy simply runs the system that is put in front of him. He doesn’t make it any better and he doesn’t make it any worse. When Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh put McCarthy in, in place of McCarthy’s predecessor Cade McNamara, who left for Iowa, it was hard to tell them apart.

Here is something that y’all just aren’t ready for: McNamara is just the better QB. Without McNamara’s season-ending injury in week two of last season, who knows where we would be today?

Sure, McCarthy might be able to play at the next level, but he is a backup at best. His ball security is a next-level trait. The way he just sits back and operates with what is in front of him, is not.

My BIG three questions

1. Can McCarthy break free from Harbaugh’s system and make himself stand alone?

2. Will he be able to get his high ball placement under control so his receivers can make some huge plays?

3. Can he and Michigan make a run at the National Championship in 2023?

How McCarthy stacks up and game film reviewed

My 2024 NFL Draft Value: Sixth Round

2022 Game Film Evidence (Jersey No. 9)

Maryland

Iowa

Penn State

Purdue B1G Championship Game

Ohio State

TCU

William Yanish III is a lifelong football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.