While Jayden Daniels has been the name most people in New England have been talking about in recent weeks, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy remains one that is worth talking about.<\/p>\n
A lot of that has to do with the intangibles, which are certainly in his favor. He\u2019s not the flashiest or most athletically gifted player, but he fits two key needs the Patriots are obviously looking for.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s got a good arm, and he\u2019s careful with the football. Both of those are obviously two key traits needed in today\u2019s NFL, which makes him an intriguing player.<\/p>\n
In his final season at Michigan in 2023 where he led the University to its first National Championship since 1997, he didn\u2019t light things up, but he definitely played well. He threw 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions, with McCarthy completing 240-of-332 (72.3%) of his passes last season.<\/p>\n
When asked about the fact he didn\u2019t put up big numbers, the former Wolverine definitely had the right answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only stat I cared about was W\u2019s,\u201d McCarthy said via WBZ\u2019s MAtt Geagan. \u201cAnd we did pretty good in that category.\u201d<\/p>\n
Should New England go on to sign someone like Jacoby Brissett in the coming weeks when free agency kicks off, that\u2019s sort of a best-case scenario for the lanky quarterback.<\/p>\n
McCarthy came in at 6\u20192?, 219-pounds over the weekend, with the soon-to-be rookie putting together a good performance during the throwing drills. He\u2019s also stronger than he looks, with McCarthy coming in second behind Joe Milton III in throwing velocity after he was measured at 61 mph, right behind Milton III who hit 62 mph.<\/p>\n
However, like former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, if the Patriots can buy time with a veteran and give McCarthy a season to get stronger and develop, it could eventually set him up for success either late in the year or into 2025. Obviously, this isn\u2019t saying McCarthy is anywhere close to Brady\u2019s level, but the process would be similar.<\/p>\n
After all, Brady certainly wasn\u2019t physically ready to handle the rigors of the NFL straight out of college. He was skinny coming out of the six round that year, but he got stronger as his rookie year went on and eventually ended up moving up and seeing action in mop-up duty during their Thanksgiving day loss to the Lions in 2000 while sitting behind then-QB, Drew Bledsoe.<\/p>\n
That may be just what McCarthy needs if that\u2019s the direction they decide to go.<\/p>\n
The knock on McCarthy has been his touch and sometimes putting too much on his throws, but he showed enough over the weekend (and here) that with the right development, he may turn into a pretty good starter for someone.<\/p>\n
Does he deserve to go top three? Maybe not. But in the end, missing out on the right player \u2013 if that\u2019s how the Patriots ultimately view McCarthy \u2013 may outweigh the \u201cvalue\u201d risk that could see someone else take him instead.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the complicated part of the draft, and the dilemma Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith will both face in the coming weeks as the Patriots continue pondering their options.<\/p>\n