J.J. McCarthy should go No. 1, just like Jim Harbaugh said

Former Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh knew what he had in J.J. McCarthy. He called him the greatest college quarterback the Wolverines have ever had and he was right. McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter for Michigan football on his way to winning a national championship.

After he was hired by the Chargers, Jim Harbaugh, who I consider the greatest Michigan football head coach of all time, offered his thoughts on J.J. McCarthy and predicted he would be the No. 1 overall pick.

People scoffed at the idea that the Michigan football quarterback would go No. 1 in the NFL draft. Caleb Williams is expected to be picked by the Bears, with Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels also getting consideration.

However, McCarthy’s performance at the NFL Combine has started to change the calculus. In truth, that’s only started happening on social media as the haters realize how wrong they’ve been about the Michigan football quarterback. NFL teams already know what McCarthy can do. He’s incredibly accurate. He’s an elite athlete and his arm is as good as any in the draft.

Michigan football QB J.J. McCarthy making his case for No. 1

Are you wondering about arm strength? On Saturday, McCarthy was clocked at 61 MPH according to the laser. Only Joe Milton (62 MPH) threw harder and McCarthy’s rate was on par with Josh Allen’s at the combine. Oh, and McCarthy also has the highest single-season completion percentage for any QB to throw over 60 MPH. He’s just different and every team that passes on him will regret it, but especially the Chicago Bears.

Joe Milton's hardest throw on the laser: 62 mph
JJ McCarthy's hardest throw on the laser: 61 mph

— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) March 2, 2024

For those who say McCarthy wasn’t asked to do much at Michigan football, here are some stats for you. McCarthy attempted a higher percentage of his throws on third-and-seven or longer than any quarterback in college football. McCarthy was also more accurate down the field than Maye or Caleb Williams.

I keep coming back to these numbers on J.J. McCarthy. Third and long + fourth down, when the defense knows it's going to be a pass, and his numbers are great and he pretty consistently delivered and converted. These aren't soft defenses, either. pic.twitter.com/zdG6VI9Je6

— Michael Thomas Marques Colston (@ZoneReads) March 2, 2024

If you watched Michigan football play this season, or last season, you’d see some throws from McCarthy that only Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes make with regularity. Look at the Colston Loveland TD against Michigan State or the Roman Wilson dart against the Buckeyes.

McCarthy wasn’t just a game manager for Michigan football

J.J. McCarthy can make every single throw. He’s nearly 6-foot-3, 219 pounds, and posted the best time in the 3-cone drill among quarterbacks. His time also ranked fourth among wide receivers as McCarthy did it faster than Rome Odunze of Washington. Talk about freaks — J.J. McCarthy is a freak, people just don’t seem to realize it because Michigan used a run-heavy offense.

On its face, that’s true. But if you watched Michigan football for most of last season, you’d know that the running game took a step back from 2021 and 2022. More was put on McCarthy, especially early in the season, before Blake Corum got healthy, which happened at the same time McCarthy got hurt. He still completed better than 72 percent of his passes and his QBR was 88 (2nd in CFB). He also averaged nine yards per pass attempt, which is elite. Caleb Williams averaged 9.4.

The last Michigan football quarterback to get selected in the first round was Jim Harbaugh. He’s taken teams to the Super Bowl, quarterbacked a team to the AFC title game, and won a national championship. Harbaugh knows quarterbacks and he knows when he sees one capable of winning championships. Analysts from ESPN and the NFL Network have heard McCarthy could go in the top five. Yet, McCarthy is that dude and if the Chicago Bears had any clue, they would start negotiating with him to be the No. 1 overall pick

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