Having already met with Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, the New England Patriots are currently welcoming another top quarterback in the draft, JJ McCarthy. McCarthy was scheduled to dine with Patriots executives on Sunday evening before touring the team’s facilities on Monday, according to NFL Media.
Owners of the No. 3 overall pick, the Patriots will undoubtedly use this pick to select a quarterback. New England will likely be the third team to draft a quarterback, as the Bears and Commanders – who have the first and second picks, respectively – are also expected to select the quarterbacks.
The Bears are widely expected to select USC’s Caleb Williams. The commanders are expected to select either Daniels from LSU or Maye from North Carolina.
McCarthy has climbed the draft rankings since leading Michigan to the school’s first national title since 1997. He is currently ranked as the fourth-best quarterback and 20th-best player in CBS’ prospect rankings Sports.
The 6-foot-3 McCarthy was a two-year starter at Michigan. He went a staggering 28-1 as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback during that span that included a 2-1 record in the College Football Playoff and a 2-0 record against its arch-rival Ohio State.
He didn’t throw for a ton of yards at Michigan, but McCarthy was extremely effective. He completed 68.5 percent of his passes over his final two years at Michigan with 44 touchdowns against just nine picks.
McCarthy’s style of play bears an uncanny resemblance to that of his college coach, Jim Harbaugh. Although not a prolific runner, Harbaugh was elusive and difficult to get in the pocket at times. McCarthy is much the same. Many of his big plays at Michigan were the byproduct of deployments that took advantage of his athleticism.
Speaking of Harbaugh, the new Los Angeles Chargers coach recently praised his former college QB.
“I think he plays the best quarterback role of any quarterback in the draft,” Harbaugh said via ESPN. “He’s amazing. So, big market, small market. Cold weather, hot weather, whatever.”
It will be interesting to see if the Patriots agree with Harbaugh, assuming McCarthy is still available when New England is on the clock.