There hasn’t been a lot of buzz around the Raiders potentially drafting University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but that might be a name that is linked to the Raiders more in the weeks ahead.
McCarthy isn’t considered by many to be one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the draft, but he has a skill set that might translate to him being better in the NFL than he was in college – a little like another Michigan quarterback that was drafted a couple of decades ago.
The Raiders should be considered strong candidates to trade up in the draft for a quarterback, but if they decide to see who falls to pick 13, would McCarthy be a quarterback they like in that position?
Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal talked about McCarthy this week on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate, and he believes McCarthy has a lot more athleticism and arm strength than what he showed in college…
“I would have loved to see J.J. McCarthy [at the Senior Bowl] because he’s another quarterback that all of a sudden, people are starting to take a deeper look into him… Some of what he did was predicated on how the game was called. All of his skill set wasn’t necessary showcased [at Michigan] because he didn’t really need to…
When he starts tests and starts running [the 40-yard dash], he’s blazing fast and shows off the gun, that’s when NFL people are going to start looking at him and saying ‘Oh, there’s a lot to work with.’ Even though it wasn’t necessarily expressed in the college game, although when it came down to it, that guy made a lot of plays on third downs. Go look at his numbers on third downs. He made some big plays and was really good and efficient on third downs...
I think [McCarthy] has an opportunity over these next couple of months to really move up in a lot of people’s eyes, and I saw a mock draft, I think it was CBS Sports had a mock draft that came out two days ago and they moved him at [pick] 13 to the Raiders.”
The CBS Mock draft that Bonsignore referenced had three quarterbacks drafted ahead of McCarthy, and no other quarterbacks being taken in the first round.
Another CBS mock draft released by Chris Trapasso last week had the Raiders trading for Justin Fields.
In his proposal, the Raiders get Fields (and a sixth-round pick) from the Bears in return for the no. 77 overall (third-round pick), and a 2025 third-round pick that becomes a second-round pick if Fields plays 75% of the snaps and becomes a first-round pick if the Raiders make the playoffs in 2025.
Too expensive for Fields or not?
twitter: @raidersbeat
Not too expensive for a franchise QB, if Fields can become one.
JJ can be picked up in the 2nd round or in the later part of the 1st as far as Fields goes a 3rd rounder straight up no other pick with conditions. I trust AOC more than Fields
McCarthy yes fields no way!
I’ve seen from mock drafts that scouts are telling them McCarthy will go higher than expected but I’d do that Fields deal.
JJ McCarthy, yes. Justin Fields, no.