Days before the NFL Draft, J. J.McCarthy is causing plenty of debate - and former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb feels that potentially picking him as a top player in the upcoming draft could backfire.
McNabb, previously of the Philadelphia Eagles, expressed doubts about the Michigan product's recent advancements on draft boards, despite his pivotal role in leading Michigan to the College Football Playoff national championship in January. A few months ago, McCarthy's limited responsibilities as a passer under Michigan's scheme had projected him to fall within the second or third round.
However, much has changed as draft season heats up. The 21-year-old's status has skyrocketed, reflected in recent mock drafts by Daniel Jeremiah, Peter Schrager and Mel Kiper Jr. All have projected McCarthy as a possible top-five pick at the event in Detroit, taking place next Thursday (April 25).
But veteran McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowl star, believes such a decision could be ill-advised. Speaking to Outkick, the 47-year-old expressed his bemusement.
He said: "The JJ McCarthy thing is interesting to me because I'm trying to really wrap my head around how he's elevated to possibly being a top-six player in this draft."
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"Listen, I love what [Jim] Harbaugh was able to do at Michigan. There was a couple of years ago when everyone wanted Harbaugh fired because he couldn't beat Ohio State, and all of a sudden, he's beating Ohio State and everybody else.
"Now he's in the national championship game, but to me, J.J. McCarthy I just see him being a guy that people three years from now are going to say 'Was he really worth drafting?'."
McCarthy steered a run-heavy Michigan offense to the school's first national championship two decades, accumulating 2,991 passing yards and 22 touchdowns against four interceptions in his junior year before declaring for the draft.
McCarthy enjoyed a perfect final season in college, going unbeaten en route to Rose Bowl and national championship triumphs (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)His big moment in the College Football Playoff came in the semi-final victory over Alabama at the Rose Bowl, throwing for three touchdowns en route to an epic 27-20 overtime victory. In the national championship game, McCarthy threw for 140 yards without a score as the Wolverines routed Washington 34-13.
Despite McCarthy's impressive resume, McNabb says he would be looking at other options if he was drafting a quarterback in the Motor City next week. "He didn't wow you with anything in college," he continued.
"And in college, you have to show that ability to be able to get the ball downfield, ad-lib on plays, throw on the run, do everything that you're seeing most of these top quarterbacks get drafted so high we didn't see that," he explained Tuesday.
"I've seen a structured quarterback that ran a pro-style offense where he turned around and hand the ball off to [Blake] Corum, hit his tight ends, hit his receiver [Roman] Wilson on crossing routes or maybe a seam pattern, a slant I didn't see him wow you with anything. And for him to be in the position they're talking about, it's amazing to me."
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