J.J. McCarthy compared to a high-paid Pro Bowl quarterback

In a column published on Monday, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky picked new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins as his primary “prospect-to-pro comp” for Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

“McCarthy and Cousins play with a high level of conviction and routinely make difficult throws from the pocket look easier than they should,” Orlovsky explained. “The former Michigan quarterback has his eyes and arm tied to his feet on when and where to throw the ball.” 

Cousins and McCarthy both share the trait of being highly polarizing in terms of how fans and analysts see them.

Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowl pick who, according to Spotrac, has earned more than $231 million from his NFL contracts. He inked a four-year, $180 million deal with a $100 million guarantee to join the Falcons last month.

However, some believe Cousins’ only playoff win in four postseason starts indicates he creates “empty calorie” stats and isn’t a great performer at the position.

McCarthy, however, apparently accomplishes nothing “great” in the eyes of certain scouts, although his draft value has risen in recent months.

The Chicago Bears are anticipated to pick USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams first in this year’s draft, while others believe the Washington Commanders would select McCarthy second over LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels and North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye.

“McCarthy has some supporters around the NFL who view him as on par with or even ahead of both Daniels and Maye,” ESPN NFL insider Field Yates said on Monday. “I think McCarthy is a long shot to be the No. 2 pick, but there are enough people around the league who have expressed support for his game that I can’t dismiss it as a possibility.”

Interestingly, Yates noted in the same article that McCarthy is unlikely to slide in the first round of the NFL past the Minnesota Vikings at No. 11. Cousins, of course, had spent the previous six seasons with the Vikings before signing with Atlanta.

In a mock draft published on Monday, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic forecasted that Minnesota will trade picks 11 and 23 this year, as well as a 2025 first-round pick, to the Arizona Cardinals for pick No. 4, which the Vikings will then use to acquire McCarthy.