As the draft approaches, most of the take is focused on how great the player will be. Few would risk spending a decade being reminded that they were wrong to doubt a player who ended up being great.
Tiki Barber is willing to roll the dice when it comes to former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy.
“About J.J. McCarthy, I'm tired of hearing it” Barber said Friday on his WFAN radio show, via Matt Ehardt. new york post. “Stop talking about J.J. McCarthy. His film doesn't say he's a first-round quarterback. His film doesn't say, 'Let's get rid of all our assets and draft this guy.' I'm not saying “there is a need.” Because a lot of what he does is incomprehensible. The plan he ran at the University of Michigan — and maybe this is an indictment on the plan, not necessarily against him — but it's about what you have to do, the second, third level reads, you have to do. I didn't emphasize multiple combo routes. It has to be right. He did nothing of the sort. They were run-based and he was successful there because he was good at that, which is what Jim Harbaugh wanted him to do. ”
Barber said the gist of McCarthy's hype is that Harbaugh, now the Chargers' head coach, wants all four of his picks ahead of L.A. at No. 5 to be quarterbacks. I believe. This effectively gives the Chargers the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, as Harbaugh said.
“To me, JJ McCarthy is a smokescreen,” Barber said. “He's overhyped because Jim Harbaugh won't stop talking about him. Now all of a sudden he's a top-four quarterback? I don't buy it.”
With the Giants potentially taking a quarterback at No. 6, Barber hopes to stay away from former NFL teams.
“Nothing is happening,” Barber said. “I'm just saying. He's not awake. I don't need him. He's not awake.”
The truth is, it's impossible to know for sure which players will perform at the NFL level and which will not. Notably, McCarthy was invited to attend by the league's office, which wants to acquire the best prospects in the draft. (He refused.)
The league invited only four quarterbacks to Detroit: McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.
McCarthy will likely go in the first round. Whether he's boom or bust is a mystery and will depend on many factors. At this point, the team doesn't have a crystal ball. Barbers are definitely not like that.
If he's right, he'll have made a lucky guess. If he's wrong, he might not be able to listen to the end.
