The New York Giants are certainly doing their due diligence ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. Aside from meeting with all the top receivers, general manager Joe Schoen and the team’s brass hosted Michigan star quarterback J.J. McCarthy on a visit last week, taking him out to dinner and giving him a tour of the facilities.
McCarthy could be their target with a 6th overall pick if not even moving up a few spots to guarantee his selection. With the Giants still unsure about Daniel Jones and his recovery from an ACL tear, taking a more proactive approach and replacing the quarterback position may be in their best interest.
Of course, many are concerned about McCarthy‘s lack of sample size in a high-octane passing offense. Still, NFL coaches may see his tools and personality as major positives and elect to take a gamble and develop him in real-time.
Are the Giants Willing to Gamble on McCarthy’s Upside?
It is important to note that McCarthy is only 21 years old, so he has plenty of years to continue his growth and take steps in the right direction.
Last season, he tossed 370 passes, completing 333 for a 72.1% completion rate. He added 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 2.9% turnover-worthy play percentage. McCarthy also added 340 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to his stats, suggesting he has dual-threat qualities.
At 6’3″ and 202 pounds, McCarthy has a good frame and solid arm strength, hosting the second-fastest ball at the NFL combine, only behind Joe Milton by 1 mph. In addition, he had the number one athleticism score and had a total score of 84, which ranked fourth among quarterbacks at the combine.
Due to his lack of sample size, teams will have to evaluate him based on his upside and potential since his production at the collegiate level was scarce at times. In fact, he only threw over 300 yards in one game last season, and over the final five games of the year, he only threw over 200 yards once, suggesting that Michigan leaned heavily on the running game, only asking McCarthy to step up when they are. One of his most intriguing traits is his ability to convert third downs, which he did at an extremely high rate last year.
Many are impressed by his ability to process the field and move through progressions at a swift pace, but Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes he’s a bit sluggish moving through his progressions and can get stuck on his first read, which is a major con of Daniel Jones.
Despite those issues, he’s still young and has the processing power to make significant improvements, especially with Brian Daboll as the Giants’ head coach.
At the very least, one of McCarthy’s biggest positives is his experience playing in a pro-style offensive scheme, so the Giants will be getting a player who can step in and operate comfortably on day one. The Giants are certainly doing their due diligence to make sure that he is worthy of being a top-10 draft pick, but landing a blue-chip wide receiver prospect in the first round certainly wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.