The Minnesota Vikings selected University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft last week, filling their massive need under center.
McCarthy was the fifth signal-caller chosen in the draft, and he is probably the most polarizing player in this year’s class.
While some laud McCarthy’s intangibles, others have expressed serious concern over his physical limitations heading into the pros.
McCarthy’s mechanics in particular have raised some hairs, and former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky says that his issues remind him of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Orlovsky says that McCarthy is too much in his head when it comes to his mechanics, and it leads him actually looking robotic and too deliberate on some throws.
He adds that McCarthy should just be more natural with his delivery rather than trying to focus so heavily on doing it “correctly.”
So, basically, Orlovsky wasn’t comparing McCarthy to Lawrence in a positive light.
McCarthy is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he led Michigan to a national championship while throwing for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.3 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 202 yards and three scores.
The 21-year-old wasn’t asked to do anything extravagant in what was a run-heavy offense, which has led some to question if he can actually make big-time plays on the NFL level. At least early on.
Of course, in spite of some of his mechanical problems, Lawrence ended up making the Pro Bowl in his second season, leading the Jaguars to an AFC South division title and a thrilling comeback playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
However, Lawrence struggled this past year, as Jacksonville went just 1-5 down the stretch to miss the postseason.
We’ll see how J.J. McCarthy fares during his rookie campaign. Surely, there will be some growing pains, but so long as he makes adjustments along the way, he should be alright.
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