Rams Pick Michigan Star QB J.J. McCarthy As Matthew Stafford Heir in NFL.com Mock Draft
The Los Angeles Rams will be picking in the first round of the NFL Draft for the first time since 2016 later this spring.
And with so many different needs on the roster heading into the offseason. there is no telling which direction general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay could take with the pick.
Many would point to the secondary, where the Rams finished ranked 25th in the league in pass defense, giving up 255 yards per game. Others would point to edge rusher, where the Rams managed just 41 sacks for the year - 17 of which came from the defensive tackle spot.
On the other side of the ball, offensive line is a need as well, with multiple players hitting free agency, including guard Kevin Dotson.
However, according to NFL.com's Eric Edholm, the Rams will be using their first-round pick opportunity to invest in the future and pick an heir for Matthew Stafford - Michigan Wolverines star QB, J.J. McCarthy.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh talks to quarterback J.J. McCarthy before the start of the Rose Bowl vs. Alabama in Pasadena, California, on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024
Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK
Said Edholm:
The Rams' first first-round selection since they took Jared Goff at No. 1 overall is another quarterback -- go figure. Matthew Stafford might be approaching the 17th green of his career, and McCarthy needs time to marinate his fascinating toolset. He's a Midwest kid, but McCarthy has displayed some California cool in crunch time -- and he's savvy enough to digest Sean McVay's system.
Last season for teh Wolverines, McCarthy completed 240 of 332 passes (72.3 percent) for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions, leading Michigan to an undefeated season, as well as a Big Ten championship and a national title.
In essence, he has been the key to the success of the Wolverines over the last two seasons, going 29-1 as a starter over that time.
As a result of his success, his former head coach - new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh - believes he is the greatest quarterback in the history of college football.
"I've said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan—college football history," Harbaugh said after the Rose Bowl. "Got a long way to go to get to get where Tom Brady eventually got to, which is the GOAT. But in a college career there's been nobody at Michigan better than JJ. I know we talk about it an amalgamation of quarterbacks. He is that guy."
Harbaugh didn't stop there, however.
Recently, the ex-Michigan coach also predicted McCarthy to be the first quarterback taken in the draft this spring, above the likes of the consensus top three QBs in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.
"Don't be surprised if, when he's the No. 1 quarterback off the board. That's my prediction right now," Jim Harbaugh told Colin Cowherd. "When people get a load of J.J. and how he can throw the ball, how he spins it... Talk about ‘it-factor,’ he's got it. The competitiveness that he has, and they get around him, and they really start digging in, and they start talking to him."
Whether Harbaugh is being hyperbolic, or McCarthy really is that good remains to be seen.
Either way, he could be an intriguing option for the Rams and their future at No. 19.
