Kyle Brandt works for the NFL Network on “Good Morning Football.” But after listening to his “take” on Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy it’s hard to know how someone who knows so little about football could have a job talking football.
That’s said tongue and cheek, to a point. That’s how bad the take was on the Michigan football quarterback. The first thing Brandt did was reference an NFL.com scouting report (what a joke) saying McCarthy “lacked measurables” even though he’s 6-foot-3, 219 pounds. He also had the fifth fastest three-cone drill in the entire draft — faster than Rome Odunze — but Ok.
J.J. McCarthy has everything you want in a top-5 pick
Brandt said he wanted the scouting report to say “Crazy Talent” or “freakish athlete.” I’d argue that the Michigan football quarterback is crazy talented and a freakish athlete. Watch his speed here to make a block in the 2021 Big Ten Championship game. Or the ability to catch a pass one-handed, turn around, and drop a dime.
If we are talking “crazy” arm talent. There are plenty of examples there too. However, it seems as though Brandt, as well as his brethren at the NFL Network, haven’t watched much tape.
This Michigan State game is filled with NFL-caliber throws. 40 seconds into the video, McCarthy avoids a sack, rolls to the right, and fires a dart between four defenders to convert a third-and-14.
McCarthy was clocked throwing the ball 61 MPH at the combine. That’s the same speed as Josh Allen and only Joe Milton threw the ball harder. McCarthy also has the highest completion percentage of any quarterback to throw at 61 MPH.
Brandt bases his entire take on what appears to a poorly written scouting report. It’s a good reminder of why “national analysts” usually can’t be trusted because they are more “hot-take artists” than analysts.
If you can’t see McCarthy has an elite arm, is an insane athlete, has all the intangibles, and has insanely high upside, you just don’t know football. That’s fine. Plenty of Ohio State, Michigan State, and other rival fans have the same issue. At least they have a reason to hate McCarthy though (he torched their teams).
Brandt is just an idiot and I hope that McCarthy is keeping all the receipts from people like him.
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