NFL Draft analysts expand on stock rise of J.J. McCarthy

ESPN NFL Draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Matt Miller helped explain the recent unexpected rise of Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

"What started the rise for me was that when they had to put it on him, he stepped up," Miller told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post while speaking about what McCarthy meant for the 2023 Wolverines side that won the national championship. "There’s not a lot of it, but the Ohio State game and the national semifinal game against Alabama were the two best games he ever played. He performed in those big moments." 

On Nov. 25, McCarthy completed 16-of-20 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in a 30-24 win over Ohio State. In the overtime 27-20 College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Alabama, he earned Offensive Player of the Game honors after he connected on 17-of-27 pass attempts for 221 yards and three scores.

Miller also explained how McCarthy impresses teams during in-person meetings.  

"When you start getting around people who know the kid, and you aren’t just watching him play on TV or in person, it’s like, 'OK, I get the allure of you as a human being, too,'" Miller told Dunleavy. "He’s all about ball, but not in a bad way that’s obsessive. He knows how to be coached. I hear that about him all the time. This guy has been coached harder in high school and college — by his dad, his quarterbacks coach, (former Michigan head coach) Jim Harbaugh — than he probably will be in the NFL. He’s going to take well to that." 

It's believed the New York Giants will strongly consider making McCarthy the sixth overall pick of the draft unless a team such as the Minnesota Vikings moves up to No. 4 in the draft order with him in mind. USC Trojans star Caleb Williams, LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels and North Carolina Tar Heels signal-caller Drake Maye are widely expected to be the draft's first three selections. 

"I think you are going to have to move up [from No. 6] to get him," Miller predicted about McCarthy.