Wolverine Digest

NFL Draft Intel On JJ McCarthy, Junior Colson And Mike Barrett

Find out the latest on former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy’s draft prospects.

Eric Rutter

December 31, 2022, 2022; Glendale, Ariz; USA; Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass
December 31, 2022, 2022; Glendale, Ariz; USA; Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY

Last month, Michigan set a new record with 18 players invited to the 2024 NFL Combine, a number that underscores how deep U-M’s championship-winning squad was. Now that the draft is a bit closer, many Wolverines are generating buzz across the league and could be moving up draft boards leading up to the NFL Draft.

So, when the NFL Network ran a show highlighting its latest mock draft, it was not a surprise to see JJ McCarthy among the first players selected. 

Lance Zierlein’s Mock Draft 3.0

No. 4 - QB JJ McCarthy —  Minnesota Vikings (acquired via trade) 

“I feel like Kevin O’Connell and JJ McCarthy is a great mix and match of styles and blends of type of quarterback along with the offense that he runs, so I think it would be an aggressive move to jump up and grab McCarthy that early,” Zierlein said. But if you don’t get your hands on four quarterbacks fairly quickly, there are others behind you who will jump up and do it and I think the Vikings will be one of those players for the top four picks, so I put him at number four.”

During this segment, the NFL Network crew praised McCarthy for having such a balanced skill set. On tape, McCarthy moved around enough to extend plays, but his true value as a runner was not unearthed at Michigan. Perhaps an NFL team will utilize McCarthy, who we all know already has a strong arm, in the ground game as well.

READ MORE: Making The Case For JJ McCarthy As A Top 5 Pick

In particular, Daniel Jeremiah compared McCarthy’s profile to that of Alex Smith due to similarities on multiple fronts. Among the Venn diagram of overlap between the two is their efficiency, frame, mobility, winning record and time spent under Jim Harbaugh. Jeremiah did note that McCarthy has more throwing power than Smith did, but they can both be trusted to make the right decisions when running an offense. 

McCarthy was the only first rounder from Michigan in Zierlein’s mock draft. 

Michigan Linebacking Duo

Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Michigan has a host of players who will be drafted this year, but two at the linebacker level stand out according to Pro Football Focus College. First, PFF College graded senior U-M linebacker Mike Barrett as the top pass rushing player at his position.

“Barrett deserves a shoutout as the top pass-rushing off-ball linebacker in this class due to his 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade this past season. As a blitzer, Barrett times the snap well to generate enough momentum to shoot gaps and get into the backfield. He also has a decent ability to corner once he gets even with an offensive lineman’s shoulder. He lacks length and overall size, so he’s not a great pass-rusher off the edge. Nonetheless, he can attack up the middle in any gap and has good recognition of where he can most easily make an impact in the backfield. Over the last two seasons, he has earned a 20.7% pass rush win percentage.”

As one of the most experienced pieces of Michigan’s defense, Barrett used his play recognition to break on the ball quickly and muddy the pocket for opposing quarterbacks. 

After commending Barrett for his pass rush instincts, PFF College dubbed Junior Colson with a different yet similarly distinct honor for his work in Ann Arbor. 

“Barrett’s teammate, Junior Colson, takes the honor as the class' best tackler. Over the last two seasons, Colson has just a 6% missed tackle percentage, which is tied for the best amongst the draft-eligible linebackers with Payton Wilson. Colson gets the nod despite the tie due to Wilson’s 30.5-inch arm length ranking inside the 10th percentile for the position, whereas Colson’s 32.5-inch arm length is 57th percentile. This helps settle the tie because shorter arms certainly make it more difficult to wrap up. Colson also brings good size and power to wrap up, which is what aids him in being the most reliable linebacker in the class when it comes to bringing ball carriers down.”

Together, McCarthy, Barrett and Colson make up a portion of the 20 Wolverines who could be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft later this month.

JJ McCarthy will likely be the first Michigan player off the board. Who do you think will be second? Let us know and follow @EricJRutter on Twitter for more Wolverine Digest updates.

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Eric Rutter

ERIC RUTTER