We know that McCarthy is the youngest of the college qb's expected to go among the first 6 players draft. And generally we find that qb's improve year after year while in college. So, when we compare McCarthy to these other qb's, should we factor in the fact that he is younger? And, if so, how much weight do we give it?
Positions like OL, DL, RB are probably more important to get younger prospects because of the physical demands and the theoretical opportunity to develop physically and have more tread coming into the league.
Positions like OL, DL, RB are probably more important to get younger prospects because of the physical demands and the theoretical opportunity to develop physically and have more tread coming into the league.
Agreed and from a franchise perspective most of GM/FO types along with coaches are not like fans worried if a guy is like 23-24 already. They are concerned relatively speaking with a 3-5 yr window they might have to win.
after you satisfy those two questions who gives a F? it's not like when/if they sign a second contract being 37 or 35 when it ends is going to make a huge difference.
Age would only be a factor if you were maybe picking up a 24 year old running back that had 300 carries the past 4 years in college.
Or maybe if you were Chris Wenke
I don't think you can compare Nix, Penix, or Daniels at 20-21 with McCarthy per se. The key with evaluating someone older is whether their growth is as a result of physical maturity/experience versus a mechanical change. The latter is more likely to carry over.
JJM was a better QB in 2023 than 2022. Of course, his numbers - in terms of yards - don't completely reflect that fact b/c he didn't play in the 4th quarter of games until Penn State, & he was injured early in that game, and Penn State couldn't stop the run in the second half.
He's ~4.5 months younger than Maye, which is inconsequential. They have the same amount of college football experience from a season perspective. From a game perspective, McCarthy has more experience - 40 games played to Maye's 30.
Age shouldn't play a factor vis a vis deciding between these two guys.
To me, I look at players in 5-8 year cycles, so age is not as important, but history says it does to Schoen.
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You look at Bo Nix, Penix, and Jayden Daniels at 20-21... then you look at all 3 players last 2 years and you see monster jumps in production. You put JJM on the same LSU team this next couple of years and he puts up monster numbers and the same QB a lot of people don't like they now love.
I don't think you can compare Nix, Penix, or Daniels at 20-21 with McCarthy per se. The key with evaluating someone older is whether their growth is as a result of physical maturity/experience versus a mechanical change. The latter is more likely to carry over.
Point being if all 3 older prospects came out at 20-21 they wouldn't have been drafted or would have been picked late. Now they are being talked about as 1st rounders. JJM with two more years could be the #1 pick in the draft. That is the difference as he comes into his body more. So players that are young like Caleb, Maye, and JJM have more potential to grow into what Nix, Daniels, and Penix became.
Does he put the ball In harm's Way in big spots or does he make plays with his arm?
Positions like OL, DL, RB are probably more important to get younger prospects because of the physical demands and the theoretical opportunity to develop physically and have more tread coming into the league.
I agree, and I will add that I think age is wildly overstated as a potential factor in evaluating QB’s. Is it really age, or is it not being exposed to NFL coaching methods and film review? I don’t see how JJ McCarthy has more growth potential than, let’s say, Michael Penix.
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ive point this out before but JJM threw fewer passes at UM than Jayden Daniels did at ASU and he hasn't played there since 2021.
just to be a contrarian, his game management experience in big spots has to be a huge Plus...no?
100% yes. this is a huge selling point.
In comment 16445453 Brown_Hornet said:
Does he put the ball In harm's Way in big spots or does he make plays with his arm?
he's shown a little bit of both.
i wasnt saying inexperience is a negative, i think it is a POSITIVE. I think for NFL coaches they look at him as someone who is moldable. to your first question, he has shown he can win in tight games against good opponents, he has the raw tools, and he has some gunslinger/off schedule instincts.
i think they see a guy who has achieved a lot despite very limited experience and they can coach him to being even better as he gets more experience (under their tutilege).
I think the older QB's who didn't show a lot previously and then all of sudden starting looking like top picks are the ones you have to really dig into.
I agree, and I will add that I think age is wildly overstated as a potential factor in evaluating QB’s. Is it really age, or is it not being exposed to NFL coaching methods and film review? I don’t see how JJ McCarthy has more growth potential than, let’s say, Michael Penix.
Like I said, age is data point to consider. But it's not on my critical list of "must haves".
I'm all about physical talent and attributes. Because they are mostly without dispute. If a prospect shows an ability throw lasers, throw with variety, run fast, etc, those are going to transfer from college to the NFL.
I confess I have no idea how the intangibles are going to convey.
If McCarthy falls to us at #6 I'd be thrilled.