Mel Kiper Jr Thinks Daniel Jones Has More Upside Than J.J. McCarthy
Give the incumbent New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones some support up front and some help in the passing game, and he'll be just fine, thank you very much.
Such is the opinion of draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr, who, when asked about Michigan's JJ McCarthy potentially being a top-ten draft pick for a quarterback-needy team on ESPN's First Take.
Kiper, who said he wouldn't reach for a quarterback at six, where the Giants are currently scheduled to draft, thinks Jones is "a better quarterback" than Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, who has been linked as a potential Giants draft target, assuming that the Giants improve Jones's supporting cast.
“Daniel Jones has already shown he can be a winning NFL quarterback, a really good quarterback," Kiper said. “He needs help. We talked about what New England didn't do with their guy (Mac Jones). The Giants get more help, stay healthier, get guys healthy, get it together, maintain some consistency, and Daniel Jones is the right man for the job."
Kiper, for what it's worth, has Williams, Daniels, and Maye ranked first, third, and fifth on his most recent big board, published February 16. He has Michigan's McCarthy ranked 23rd, of whom he wrote:
McCarthy has first-round arm talent and can beat defenses with his legs, too. He ranked third in the country in Total QBR (89.2) and completion percentage (72.3%) in 2023. Since he took over as the Wolverines' starter in 2022, he threw 44 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Five of those INTs have come in two games, however; he threw three against Bowling Green earlier in 2023, and he had two pick-sixes in the College Football Playoff semifinal loss to TCU last season. Outside of those two games, he has managed games effectively and made great decisions with the football.
I recently projected McCarthy in the middle of Round 1 in my debut mock draft, and I think he will put up great testing numbers at the combine. Sure, he averaged just 22.1 pass attempts per game in 2023 and only needed to complete 10 passes in the national title game, but his upside is immense.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen has insisted the team will leave all its options open regarding the quarterback spot. He also said that "the expectation" is for Jones to start once he has recovered from an ACL tear suffered last season.
