Former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy had an impressive outing at the NFL combine, but you wouldn’t know that if you looked at the reaction on social media – particularly from the fans of teams who were on the wrong end of JJ’s talent.
Many of those bitter fans chose to focus on one particular throw that JJ missed on, using that as “evidence” that the man who went 2-0 against Ohio State, won two Big Ten Championships and a National Championship, was overrated.
While weird fans went after JJ as a way to cope, NFL Analysts were having none of it. In fact, the general consensus among those who actually know ball is that JJ was impressive at the combine, and is even more impressive when you look at the film from his collegiate career.
NFL Analyst Dan Orlovsky, a former quarterback in the NFL, recently broke down JJ’s film during a segment on ESPN.
Another NFL Analyst with an impressive resume took things a step further, directly going after those who have attempted to paint McCarthy as “overrated”. Louis Riddick, now with ESPN, spent six years in the NFL as a safety, and another 13 years as a scout/director of player personnel for the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. On Thursday, he pushed back hard against the JJ slander.
“If the first thing out of your mouth when offering an “opinion” on JJ McCarthy is about him not being the focal point of their offensive approach at Michigan, you are telling on yourself and your inability, or unwillingness, to project future performance,” wrote Riddick. “If you actually studied him, you would see why many in the NFL are very optimistic about his potential.”
When one fan tried to combat Riddick’s assessment by pointing to JJ’s performance in road games, Riddick went straight to the numbers.
While all of the banter has been interesting to watch over the last week, the reality is that we all know why McCarthy is receiving so much criticism from folks on social media. Put simply, it’s because their favorite teams couldn’t beat him. McCarthy finished his career as a Wolverine with an impressive 27-1 overall record, with his only loss coming to TCU in the CFP Semifinal back in 2022. To nobody’s surprise, most of the criticism is coming from Buckeye fans and Spartan fans – two groups who never experienced a win over a McCarthy-led Michigan team.
With the combine now in the rearview mirror, McCarthy will have another opportunity to showcase his skills during Michigan’s Pro Day on March 22. As of now, the general belief is that McCarthy is a Top 15 overall pick, and will likely be one of the first four quarterbacks selected. If McCarthy does go in the first round, he’ll become the first Michigan QB to do so since Jim Harbaugh did it back in 1987 as 26th overall pick by the Chicago Bears.
