Big Board ranking: #32

Positional ranking: #6

 

Overview

Position: QB

College: Michigan

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’2 1/2”

Weight: 219 lbs.

Arm length: 31 5/8″

Hand size: 9″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: 6.82 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.23 sec.

 

Strengths

Good overall height/frame. Throws with excellent spin/velocity. Traditional release is quick and smooth. Has plenty of arm strength. Will rocket throws into small windows at the intermediate level. Drives to get the ball there before defenders do. Delivers strikes deep over the middle and down the seam. Deep balls are very accurate between the numbers. Fantastic ball placement in the middle of the field. Great accuracy on stick routes. Throws away from leverage when hitting stationary targets. Outstanding patience and accuracy on deep crossing routes. Hits drag routes and shorter crossing routes in stride. Terrific working tight ends over the middle. Shows a good back-shoulder ball. Accurate with ideal timing on swing passes/screens. Drops it off to running backs on checkdowns and allows them to go to work. Will slide and stand in the pocket to make throws versus oncoming pressure. Tough overall player. Great combination of natural pocket presence and elusiveness. Excellent speed and mobility. Keeps his eyes downfield while scrambling. Impressive throwing on the move to his right. Squares his shoulders to throw on rollouts. Can make an accurate throw while fading away. Exceptional balance as a runner. Uses deception and acceleration to capture the corner as a runner. Very good vision. Experience running zone read and power/sweeps. Made definite strides from 2022 to 2023.

 

Weaknesses

Almost every throw is a fastball. Concerns about throwing with touch and anticipation. Attempts to throw with touch/arc are inaccurate. Has trouble either not seeing or not layering throws with an underneath defender. Ball placement on out routes is shaky. Deep ball is very flat and less accurate outside the numbers. Struggles throwing outside the numbers in general. Will leave throws short/behind. Field vision is inconsistent. Needs to anticipate open targets more. Sees a route he thinks will come open and lock onto it. Locks onto sides of the field in general. Still a work in progress for more complex progressions. Challenges contested coverage too much. Could throw running targets away from defenders more. Some throws seem to get robotic (particularly outside the numbers). Retreats versus pressure can be risky in terms of lost yardage. Build is slender right now.

 

NFL comparison

Carson Wentz

 

Conclusion

Overall, McCarthy is a hard-throwing quarterback with a great ability to work the middle of the field and traits to be developed. Despite already playing for Jim Harbaugh, the best chance of success would likely be spending time learning on the bench for at least a year or two.