Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire

J.J. McCarthy

6-3, 219, Minnesota Vikings quarterback

Overall grade: 6.4

Scouting Report by Jordan Edwards.

Summary

J.J. McCarthy is an athletic quarterback who displays toughness and a winning mentality, but must continue to develop his anticipation and decision-making as he moves to the NFL.

McCarthy was the quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines and led them to a National Championship in 2023. He was the point guard in an offense that relied heavily on its power-run game and play-action passing. Michigan utilized a good amount of pre-snap motion to scheme up receivers downfield as well. McCarthy played in 40 games during a three-year span and was a starter for 28 consecutive games in the past two seasons. He suffered an ankle injury in the middle of the 2023 season but did not miss any game time. McCarthy is a well-rounded athlete who can extend plays out of structure and shows some twitch and speed in his movements. He has sufficient height for the position, but dons a slimmer frame than desired.

McCarthy is a leader through and through. Even though he was not eligible to be a captain for his team, he was a clear leader of a national championship winning team.

 Pass Game

 When McCarthy is working in structure, he can manage an offense quickly and efficiently. He shows good short accuracy and can zip the ball out quickly to his receivers to let them create after the catch. That accuracy and zip can also reach the intermediate parts and occasionally the opposite side of the field, too. He can correctly decipher half-field reads and put the ball on the spot quickly in these situations. His mental processing is still a work in progress (working full-field reads and throwing with anticipation). He sparingly throws his receivers open and waits for them to present themselves open downfield. His point-and-shoot throwing style can lead to inaccurate throws downfield. While his arm strength is good, there is clearly a cap on the velocity in which he throws the ball. He has sufficient arm talent but when his base underneath him isn’t set, his velocity and accuracy dip. He can rifle the ball into windows, but all of his throws are at one speed. He struggles to throw with touch when layering throws across the field is required.

McCarthy can deliver the ball on time over the middle of the field. However, he is hesitant to put the ball in between the hashes consistently. He doesn’t have a natural feel for maneuvering the pocket, but his athleticism shows this is an area that has promise with development. His toughness stands out in the pocket, as he will stand in and take a jarring hit when delivering the ball. Out of structure, his athleticism is on display. He can extend plays with his legs and deliver the ball with good zip on the run. While his willingness to extend plays is admirable, it can be a detriment to him at times. He will exhaust every second and blade of grass on the field to try and throw the ball downfield. This will lead to some questionable decision making, as he is willing to put the ball in harm’s way on occasion.

Run Game

McCarthy can add some value to an offense using his legs when necessary. His athleticism can be used on designed runs and scrambles when a play breaks down. While he shouldn’t be asked to be a pivotal part of a run scheme at the next level, his ability to threaten the defense with his legs must be noted.

Last Word

McCarthy projects to be a circumstantial starting quarterback with the potential of developing into a “win-with” level quarterback. He will be best served to play in an offensive scheme that utilizes motions and play action to a high degree.

While the flashes of playmaking ability stand out, the level of consistency in which McCarthy plays with must improve. He won’t be the most talented quarterback at the next level, but if he can improve his decision making and ability to play with anticipation, he can raise his floor.

Critical Factors 

Positional Factors

Strengths

Weaknesses