Yahoo Sports NFL writer Charles McDonald is joined by Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus to discuss how the Michigan quarterback could pair with Sean Payton in Denver, now that Russell Wilson has moved on to Pittsburgh. Hear the full conversation on “The Exempt List with Charles McDonald” – part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES MCDONALD: The Broncos with an early round fit being Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, which I asked you– is he good? Is he good? I don’t know.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: I think– yes. I think yes. I think that JJ– I think that JJ is good. I hated JJ’s 2022 tape. I thought he was so far away from being an NFL quarterback. I thought he could not feel pressure, he did not have a good feel for the pocket, he was slow in his reads, didn’t really recognize things the way that he needed to presnap, got fooled by a lot of different stuff post-snap as well. Like, 2022 just was not good.
2023, he got better, in my opinion, at all of those things. Now, not, like, elite at it, but for him to progress in that manner as a whole, I think, was really, really encouraging. I gave JJ McCarthy a late first, early second round grade, meaning, like, even with positional value taken into account, I would love to take this guy at the back end of the first round.
I’d love to give him the Jordan Love situation, you know? You’re taking him in the 20s, back end of the first round. You’re sitting him behind somebody. He’s able to learn. He takes over. And I think that he could look fantastic the way that Jordan Love looks.
But we know that that’s not just how the NFL operates. It’s so very rare that you get a situation that’s like that. So that’s kind of a tough thing to grapple with. But the reason why I like him is a fit for the Broncos– one, it’s outside the top 10. I’m a little bit more comfortable with that. But two, I do like the idea of him getting to work with Sean Payton in some sort of capacity, whether he’s starting right away or not, is a pairing that I like for potential JJ destination. So that’s why I ultimately went with a fit there.
Could JJ McCarthy be a good fit for the Broncos? | The Exempt List
Yahoo Sports NFL writer Charles McDonald is joined by Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus to discuss how the Michigan quarterback could pair with Sean Payton in Denver, now that Russell Wilson has moved on to Pittsburgh. Hear the full conversation on “The Exempt List with Charles McDonald” – part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES MCDONALD: The Broncos with an early round fit being Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, which I asked you– is he good? Is he good? I don’t know.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: I think– yes. I think yes. I think that JJ– I think that JJ is good. I hated JJ’s 2022 tape. I thought he was so far away from being an NFL quarterback. I thought he could not feel pressure, he did not have a good feel for the pocket, he was slow in his reads, didn’t really recognize things the way that he needed to presnap, got fooled by a lot of different stuff post-snap as well. Like, 2022 just was not good.
2023, he got better, in my opinion, at all of those things. Now, not, like, elite at it, but for him to progress in that manner as a whole, I think, was really, really encouraging. I gave JJ McCarthy a late first, early second round grade, meaning, like, even with positional value taken into account, I would love to take this guy at the back end of the first round.
I’d love to give him the Jordan Love situation, you know? You’re taking him in the 20s, back end of the first round. You’re sitting him behind somebody. He’s able to learn. He takes over. And I think that he could look fantastic the way that Jordan Love looks.
But we know that that’s not just how the NFL operates. It’s so very rare that you get a situation that’s like that. So that’s kind of a tough thing to grapple with. But the reason why I like him is a fit for the Broncos– one, it’s outside the top 10. I’m a little bit more comfortable with that. But two, I do like the idea of him getting to work with Sean Payton in some sort of capacity, whether he’s starting right away or not, is a pairing that I like for potential JJ destination. So that’s why I ultimately went with a fit there.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Yeah. I’m still not convinced.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: That’s fair. That’s fair.
CHARLES MCDONALD: [LAUGHS]
TREVOR SIKKEMA: He–
CHARLES MCDONALD: Do something, JJ.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: He’s got like, what– he’s got– he’s got three career games where he’s had over 300 yards passing, right? It’s not a lot, whatever the number it is. They just did not ask a lot of him, so drafting a quarterback that high who you are probably going to immediately have to ask a lot from is a dangerous game, so I get it.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Yeah.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: I totally get anybody who’s super hesitant about where he’s being marked right now.
