J.J. McCarthy wasn’t considered a lock to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. When the dust settled though, he found himself leaving Ann Arbor.
While at the NFL Combine this Friday morning, McCarthy discussed his decision to declare for the draft.
Unsurprisingly, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh played a major role in McCarthy’s decision. He said now’s the right time for his quarterback to make the jump from college to the pros.
“You know, he was somebody that was like, ‘Hey, I’m out here thinking of you if you were my son.’ And he told me ‘I want you to go because of your draft stock. It could get higher, but not that much higher. And it’s just an opportunity you don’t want to pass up,'” McCarthy said, via 247Sports . “Just hearing that from him just gave me so much more confidence because that was kind of where my head was leaning towards. So just hearing that was amazing.”
Harbaugh is right about McCarthy’s stock. He could very well be a top-10 pick, so why risk an injury?
As for Harbaugh and McCarthy’s connection, the former made it abundantly clear last month that he has so much respect for his talented signal-caller.
“When people get a load of J.J., and how he can throw the ball, how he spins it, his athleticism, his intelligence. Talk about ‘it’ factor. He’s got it,” Harbaugh said . “The competitiveness that he has. And they get around him, and they really start digging in, and they start talking to him. Yeah, that’s an early prediction for the 2024 NFL Draft.”
All signs point to McCarthy being a Day 1 pick. Heck, there’s a chance he could end up in the AFC West with Harbaugh.