I do not see it. I never have and I may never will. That being said, I am good with the idea of J.J. McCarthy proving me wrong tenfold. There were things that he did when he was the quarterback at Michigan that I think could translate to the NFL. The problem is the offseason hype train surrounding the Minnesota Vikings quarterback is getting ridiculously out of hand. He has never played in a game!
McCarthy's Vikings teammate in defensive tackle Harrison Phillips was the latest person to build up McCarthy to an impossible standard. He compared him favorably to his former Buffalo Bills teammate in reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen. What Phillips said might have some truth to it. McCarthy's best attributes are his poise and leadership. Allen has some of that, too. However, they are not the same...
While McCarthy may have gone to an ideal spot in Minnesota, we have not seen anything on the field.
"He reminds me of Josh Allen when I was with him in Buffalo, coming into his own and understanding the power that he has to lead this organization."
Allen is built like Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger. McCarthy is a better version of Zach Wilson.
While both quarterbacks deserved to go in the first round, we have to let these young players grow...
J.J. McCarthy being compared to Josh Allen is setting him up for failure
From an athleticism standpoint, both quarterbacks have that working for them. Being mobile is a part of both of their games, as is throwing the ball deep down the field. Accuracy was an issue for Allen coming out of Wyoming. It is part of McCarthy's game that he needs to improve on quickly to have staying power in the NFL. I just think that their paths into the NFL could not have been any different.
Nobody wanted Allen out of high school. He had to play in the Mountain West at Wyoming. He went to a franchise that just saw a league-worst playoff drought come to an end. During his first season as the Bills starter, Allen was largely awful. He eventually found his footing playing for Brian Daboll and went on to become the most important player in Bills history since Jim Kelly. He has earned his keep.
McCarthy was a five-star recruit out of high school. He grew up in Illinois, but spent his final year of high school ball playing for the IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. Recruited to Michigan, he eventually overtook Cade McNamara midway through his sophomore season. The Wolverines were a perennial College Football Playoff team when he was in college, winning a national championship, too.
I always felt that Michigan propped up McCarthy more than he propped them up. It is a testament to how great of a head coach Jim Harbaugh is. Of course, the Michigan program has been riddled with scandal throughout the last two years, so keep in that mind as well... Either way, McCarthy's football path has been paved in gold, even if he did tear his meniscus last season during the NFL preseason.
What I am getting at is McCarthy could be a star in this league, but he has to prove it. This is the same way I feel about Arch Manning at Texas. He may have been a five-star playing at a traditional power, but we have not seen him do anything of note yet. There will be a day to potentially crown these two quarterbacks, but let's let them earn it first. All I know is that McCarthy has every possible advantage.
I am more than willing to be wrong about McCarthy, but comparing him to an NFL MVP is just absurd.