The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2024 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Give me the rock. T hat's what Michigan stand- o u t J . J . M c C a r t h y s a i d — more or less — at the N F L Co m b i n e h e l d Fe b. 29-March 3 in Indianapolis. While the consensus top three quarterback pros- pects — USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels — opted out of throwing in front of pro teams, McCarthy, Oregon's Bo Nix, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and others decided to give it a whirl. McCarthy was impressive, too, af- ter deciding not to run the 40-yard dash due to hamstring soreness. He showed out in agility testing, run- ning a 6.82-second 3-cone drill and 4.23-second 20-yard shuttle, both numbers leading the four quarter- backs who ran. McCarthy threw to former Michigan wideouts Cornelius Johnson and Ro- man Wilson, along with other receiver prospects. He missed some passes and also threw some dimes; overall, the NFL community liked what it saw. "I got a text from an NFL evaluator, a very respected one, saying, 'Of all these guys, McCarthy translates to the NFL the most,'" NFL Network's Peter Schrager said. "He had an outstanding day." It was important that McCarthy worked out at the combine, even after playing — and winning — 15 games as the Wolverines' starting quarterback in 2023. McCarthy ranked 92nd in the country with just 22.1 pass attempts per game, but his rate stats were near the top of the nation. He checked in sixth in completion percentage (72.3), ninth in passer rating (167.43) and tied for 12th in yards per attempt (9). "All the ability is there," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "Look at the win-loss record. Look at the skill set. The only knock has been the vol- ume. He didn't get to throw as much as these other guys." The lack of passing volume has been a big talking point surrounding McCar- thy as a prospect, but he's not worried about the perception some have of his game. "Stats, for me, weren't really the big thing," McCarthy said. "All I cared about was being the best teammate I could possibly be, being the best quar- terback I can possibly be [and doing] whatever was asked of me. "The only stat I care about is W's, and we did pretty good in that category." McCarthy weighed in at 219 pounds, too, after being listed at 202 as a junior at Michigan. It was important for teams to see him add some mass to what was a slender frame. Running back Blake Corum, mean- while, did run the 40-yard dash, clock- ing in a 4.53-second time that ranked McCarthy bulked up in the offseason from 202 pounds to 219, and still performed well in agility drills at the NFL Combine. PHOTO BY KEVIN SABITUS/NFL RUN AND GUN J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum Impress At NFL Combine