Heresy or Foresight? - The J.J. McCarthy Thread

[Chris]

In the event that J.J. McCarthy is selected by Washington as it’s future QB in the upcoming draft…this is your dedicated home for any and all discussion.

 

[Bulldog]

I will be really shocked if McCarthy is the pick.

With a new GM and coach looking to prove themselves it takes some pretty big cojones to pass on the ever popular Daniels and the big guy with the bazooka arm Maye and go with a player most have at #4.

But the hallmark of Beathard was doing what people didn’t necessarily expect and trusting his intuition. We will see what Peters is made of.

Jimmy the Greek criticized the 1981 draft before the opener saying Washington didn’t do a lot in the offseason to improve their roster and in retrospect it was one of the great drafts in NFL history.

 

[Knightingale]

I’d be shocked if it’s McCarthy.
I know his stock has been rising because ‘intangibles’ but pretty much everything I e listened to or read hasn’t convinced me he’s going to jump Maye or Daniels in the draft order.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I’d be shocked if it’s McCarthy.
I know his stock has been rising because ‘intangibles’ but pretty much everything I e listened to or read hasn’t convinced me he’s going to jump Maye or Daniels in the draft order.

Why would you be shocked though, because there are negatives being reported on Maye and Daniels (of course). If Peters thinks that those concerns merit more wariness, I could see him going with McCarthy. I get the concerns on McCarthy too, but keep in mind Maye and Daniels have enough marks against them that none of these three are sure things.

All that said, the thing that makes me think it will NOT be McCarthy is ultimately I doubt they will see a scheme fit with him, and I think that will matter to them more than whatever advantages they see in him. If they believe they can mold him (which is certainly possible, again), then I do think they may see a path where he is the best option at #2. Maye's biggest concerns (accuracy, some others), and Daniels biggest concerns (pressure/sack ratios, whole field coverage on throws, some others) could easily be seen as bigger issues, depending on their perspective. So for me, while I think McCarthy is NOT the pick, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[tomwvr]

If they pick JJ and he fails the front office and coaching staff will be gone. If they take Maye or Daniels the coaching staff is gone if they fail with them. The FE could survive that depending on how the other QBs in the draft turn out

 

[Knightingale]

As I said, I’ve been devouring podcasts and news reports and articles, I’ve watched the films on all three.

The common consensus seems to be that Daniels is ready to step in and play, but there’s concerns about his ceiling and his stature, and the fact he puts himself in harms way frequently. But if we want to win now, he’s the best option.

But, for a running QB is he going to last more than a few years?

Opinion on Maye is that he perhaps has the higher ceiling due to his build and skills, but his mechanics need work. Most think he needs bench time. Seeing a lot of people compare him to Josh Allen.

McCarthy…he’s the dark horse. I see a lot of reports about his ‘intangibles’ but the negatives predominantly focus on lack of a body of work. Including that the offense he played in was very run orientated and didn’t ask a lot of him.

It feels to me like McCarthy is maybe viewed as a competent game manager, but not a game changer. At best he’s Alex Smith. More likely he’s Colt McCoy.

These aren’t my opinions, just what I’m reading.

The smoke around Daniels lately has me a little concerned. There’s been such a fuss made in the media about this big joint visit where they had all the QBs and other draft prospects together, but it’s an approach Peters brought from the Niners, and it seems to work there.

It’s pretty clear, in my opinion, that at this point Peters and co are focused on the big picture. While they signed a ton of free agents, they didn’t burn their cap room. It was pretty clear they wouldn’t, because the mantra has been to focus on the future all along. They might call it a ‘recalibration’ or whatever term they’re using, but it’s a rebuild with all that entails. They’re focusing on 2025/26. That’s why so many short term contracts.

So, looking at these QBs down that lens, what are the risks?

Well, there’s a concern that Daniels could have peaked already, and we all know what happened to RGIII at the end of his rookie year. History repeating?

Is McCarthy a QB with growth potential? Or is he destined to be a backup at best? Could he carry a fledgling offense through its growing pains?

Can Maye fix the issues with his mechanics and be the QB many are projecting him to be? Or will he always be flawed?

There’s a lot of questions, but it’s starting to feel a lot like Drake Maye to me.

In their press conference the other day the phrase ‘magnetic’ was used to describe how some players came across during that group visit. With the smoke coming out of Daniels agent, it makes you wonder how well he came across during that time.

Of course it could all be a storm in a tea cup created by a media needing something to talk about. But what if?

That’s just idle speculation, but often where there’s smoke…

As for the Front Office and Coaching Staff being out the door… I kinda feel like it would take more than a bust QB to see that happen.

Everyone understands that picking a franchise QB is a crap shoot. No one knows better than Peters, who had a front row seat to the whole Trey Lance debacle. Snyder would probably have fired them all as a knee jerk reaction, but this isn’t that team anymore. The new ownership group has thus far been very methodical about pretty much everything it’s done, and has its eyes on long term and future success.

I mean, they let Rivera play out his last year and used it to evaluate the team. Their recruitment in the front office was absolutely first class. Their coach search was exhaustive (and surprising at times!).

There’s no way this group haven’t already posed the ‘what if’ scenario. What if this QB is a bust?

You really think Adam Peters hasn’t asked that question after his experiences in San Francisco?

For the first time in forever, this team feels like it has a plan. A long term plan. With contingencies. I figure the only way this staff gets turned over so soon is if they not only bust on QB but also flame out on the whole draft class. This draft, with so many picks, is the perfect opportunity to really make a huge difference to our future, even if QB busts.

Anyhow, just my two cents 😂

 

[burgold]

Great breakdown.

A thought I had reading it is that Peters, Harris, and to a lesser degree Quinn have all stressed the long haul and that they aren't building for this year. If that's the case, then grabbing the "most ready" QB is less important than the QB they believe will be ultimately best. Mind you, I don't think that's clear cut.

 

[Chris]

If magnetism is indeed an important attribute, McCarthy is the only one of the 3 that has it in spades to me.

 

[Boone]

McCarthy does not have the arm talent of either Daniels or Maye. Period. He may well get drafted in the first 15 picks and develop into a good starter. But in terms of pure arm talent he is not a top 3 QB in this class.

 

[Chris]

J.J. MCCARTHY VS. BROCK PURDY NFL COMBINE	MCCARTHY	PURDY
Height	6-2.5	6-1
Weight	219	212
Hand size	9"	9 1/4"
Throw velocity	61 MPH	52 MPH
Three-cone drill	6.82 sec	7.21 sec
20-yard shuttle	4.23 sec	4.45 sec

 

[Chris]

 

[Chris]

 

[Knightingale]

I think comparing him with Brock Purdy is kinda apt. Now, I’m not saying that McCarthy should be Mr Irrelevant, but I do wonder how much of Purdy’s success is because he’s a good game manager who got dropped in to manage a Super Bowl ready team with Shanahan as coach.

How do we think he’d have faired here if Rivera had drafted him? I’d wager we’d still be looking at the number 2 pick in the draft this year and the same choice we’re debating.

My gut feel on McCarthy is that while he’s by all accounts a great person with all the intangibles, I’m not sure he can lift a team in the way a Williams/Maye/Daniels is projected to. He seems geared to be the ideal QB to drop into a playoff ready team and be successful.

I’m not sure I’d spend the number 2 pick on a QB like that.

Of course, I could very well be wrong. I’m not a talent scout, just going by the things I’ve seen and read.

 

[Bulldog]

I may be biased but I think moving to the next level not only the top 3 but Penix as well are better bets than McCarthy.

Penix put a team on his back and went to the title game. The difference is the team put McCarthy on its back and took him to the same game.

Jim Harbaugh goes on TV and says McCarthy is the best quarterback available and teams would be foolish to pass on him.

Really? Then maybe someone should tell Jim to trade Herbert for picks and use one of them to draft McCarthy

It appears Jim is breaking down the Chargers and getting rid of all of the veteran skill players in any event to form a new core.

This way he could take McCarthy and get one of the top wide receivers or OTs.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I may be biased but I think moving to the next level not only the top 3 but Penix as well are better bets than McCarthy.

Penix put a team on his back and went to the title game. The difference is the team put McCarthy on its back and took him to the same game.

Jim Harbaugh goes on TV and says McCarthy is the best quarterback available and teams would be foolish to pass on him.

Really? Then maybe someone should tell Jim to trade Herbert for picks and use one of them to draft McCarthy

It appears Jim is breaking down the Chargers and getting rid of all of the veteran skill players in any event to form a new core.

This way he could take McCarthy and get one of the top wide receivers or OTs.

If that’s what he wants to do, I’ll take a swap of first rounders and Herbert. Maybe the trade chart says more needs to be included, so I’ll take that too. But to get a proven QB and then still pick in the top 5 to take Alt, the rest of the draft won’t change and they can fill other holes. Yeah, sign me up for that. Then Harbaugh can take McCarthy at 2.

 

[Chris]

21 going on 31. Segment starts at 15:43

 

[Primus Porcus]

For some reason I can't shake the feeling in my gut that McCarthy is a very VERY real possibility at 2....

 

[Chris]

Some team is going to get a jewel. More than some teams are going to be kicking themselves in hindsight.

 

[Boone]

For some reason I can't shake the feeling in my gut that McCarthy is a very VERY real possibility at 2....

There’s no way. Might be Drake Maye, but I don’t think McCarthy is a possibility.

 

[Om]

Well, if nothing else that would shake the shit outta the first round.

I'm not ruling it out, but I'd definitely be surprised. And for the record, I do like McCarthy and said over the weekend after watching his "all throws and runs" youtube at some length that I think he's going to have a good career if he lands in a good spot.