In this quarterback-heavy draft, Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy are two of the hottest QB prospects. While many expect the former Tar Heels QB to get picked at three, McCarthy’s recent surge following Michigan’s Pro Day intensified the competition for the top three spots and has sparked a debate among fans and pundits alike. Interestingly, both Mina Kimes and Robert Griffin also have polarizing views about this.
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NFL analyst and senior ESPN reporter Mina Kimes recently appeared on Griffin’s RG3 and Ones show, where she was asked whom she was picking out of Maye and JJ. In response, she asserted that she was choosing the North Carolina shot-caller over the Natty champ.
While Mina remarked that she had already made her mind up on the top five prospects, she appreciated the rise in McCarthy’s draft stock over the last few days. However, she still holds Maye as superior for his playmaking abilities and standout arm talent — and asserts that she’d be quite surprised if McCarthy were to be picked over Maye.
“Drake Maye for me,” Mina remarked. “To me, Drake Maye, you see an out-of-structure playmaking ability, arm talent, the tools. McCarthy (on the other hand), you know, he’s accurate, he’s tough, but I don’t see really those kinds of plays on tape.”
Robert Griffin, on the other hand, went the opposite way and praised the qualities of JJ, which he feels weren’t on tape because he played in a different system.
Robert Griffin Bets on JJ McCarthy to Get Picked Before Maye
RGIII, in his reply to Mina Kimes, picked the CFP National Champion over North Carolina‘s main man. He asserted that he has closely observed all the top prospects in the current draft class, so it is difficult to pick one over the other. However, his unbiased opinion values JJ more than Drake.
He believes Maye is a developmental prospect with all the right attributes to become a star in the future. His size, athleticism, and arm strength are applaudable as well, but McCarthy too has all these attributes. Griffin feels JJ has slipped under the radar because his game tape didn’t do him justice. He wasn’t asked to do things that were demanded of other top prospects. The sportscaster knows for a fact that JJ can run and has showcased his athletic prowess since landing in Michigan. But his game film won’t show these elements, or, at least, that’s how the former NFL star feels.
Moreover, Griffin also asserted that McCarthy didn’t get to throw the ball as much as other QBs because Harbaugh and his team were more interested in running the ball. But he still delivered and his 27-1 record at college speaks volumes about his reliability.
“I think you take Drake Maye as a guy you want to develop — he’s got the height, size, athleticism, arm strength — but I do believe JJ McCarthy has the same things. He was not asked to do what the rest of the guys in his draft class were asked to do,” Griffin said. “I know that JJ coming into Michigan was a runner, his athleticism was everything, and he didn’t show that on tape because he wasn’t asked to be a runner. He wasn’t asked to throw the football around 35 times like Caleb Williams, Michael Penix or run around the field for 1000 yards like Daniels, but he was consistently making the right decisions.”
Even though the draft is less than a month away, it is still hard to predict who will get picked in the top three besides Caleb Williams. For now, we can only speculate; however, the one thing that can be said with certainty is that McCarthy and Maye are highly coveted prospects and would flourish on any roster around the league.
