Big Ten Daily (April 15): Robert Griffin III Says J.J. McCarthy Underrated as NFL QB
There seems to be more faith in former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy among NFL teams than fans and media. ESPN's Robert Griffin III indicated that coaches and executives in the league believe he can be a solid player at the professional level.
In a recent edition of his podcast, RG3 and The Ones, Griffin said that McCarthy's success at the high school and college level is an appealing quality to NFL coaches and executives.
"I'm a believer that J.J. McCarthy is not overrated to head coaches and execs, he's underrated by fans," Griffin said. "J.J. McCarthy won two state championships in high school, he won a national championship in high school (and) he won a national championship at the collegiate level. He is a winner."
Last season, McCarthy led Michigan to a perfect 15-0 record, capped off by a national championship victory over Washington. He finished the year with 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He completed over 72% of his passes.
Because Michigan relied so heavily on its rushing attack, there's a knock against McCarthy that he's just a "game manager." Critics argue that he never truly had to carry the Wolverines during their run to a national title.
Griffin said Michigan didn't need him to do that in order to be successful.
"He has all of the same skills as the rest of the guys in this draft class. ... J.J. has all of those things, he just wasn't asked to do them. So, I do think some analysts are looking at it and saying, 'Show it to me on tape.' Well, Michigan didn't ask him to do that. They asked him to make the right decisions, win football games and he's been in an NFL-style environment with Jim Harbaugh being his head coach. I think executives love that about him and can see his potential moving forward."
In its most recent mock draft, Pro Football Focus has the Washington Commanders selecting McCarthy with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Will that be the case later this month?
Patrick McCaffery transfers to Butler
Patrick McCaffery, the son of Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery, has announced his transfer destination. The former Hawkeye will continue his career at Butler. He made his announcement with a post on Instagram over the weekend.
Patrick will be a sixth-year senior at Butler in the 2024-25 season. He has one season of eligibility remaining, thanks to the NCAA's Covid-19 waiver. He also played in just two games during the 2019-20 campaign, utilizing his redshirt year.
Last season, Patrick played in 31 games for the Hawkeyes, making 15 starts. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. Iowa finished the year with a 19-15 record and played in the NIT.
Butler finished the 2023-24 season with an 18-15 record, including a 9-11 mark in Big East play. The Bulldogs also made an appearance in the NIT.
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