One of the biggest enigmas entering the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is where to peg down Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The opinions on the leader of the national champs are seemingly all over the draft map.
One of the most prominent draft analysts offered up an interesting player comparison for McCarthy. In his pre-combine conference call, NFL Network draft guru and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah sees a lot of Alex Smith when he watches McCarthy.
“There’s some elements of Alex Smith coming out of college where Alex Smith had a similar build, played the game from the shoulders up really well, and was pretty athletic to get out and make some plays,” Jeremiah told reporters. “That was my comp there.”
Smith, now an NFL analyst, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft coming out of Utah. After some early struggles on some poor 49ers teams and a season missed with a shoulder injury, Smith emerged as a three-time Pro Bowler known for his accuracy to all levels and an inherent ability to avoid making mistakes with the ball.
What exactly does that Smith comparison for McCarthy spring from?
“He has a really, really quick mind. He has a quick release. Just everything he
does is real smooth,” Jeremiah explained. “I wrote in my notes that he never gets bored with completions. Some other guys in his class get in trouble big-play hunting. If you are going to get him check-downs or completions, he is just going to — he is never going to get bored taking those. He can rev it up and drive the ball in the seams. He can extend plays, keep his eyes up.”
Heading into the combine, McCarthy is generally projected to be a top-20 overall pick and the fourth quarterback off the board.
