Former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy had what was reported as a nearly half-hour session in front of NFL scouts at Michigan’s Pro Day on Friday and later said he accomplished what he had planned. McCarthy was 27-1 for the Wolverines and helped lead them to a 15-0 record and a national championship in 2023. He is projected as a first-round NFL draft choice with most analysts suggesting the Minnesota Vikings are a likely landing spot for McCarthy with the No. 11 overall pick. “I wanted to put on display touch throws over the middle like on the move and setting up with little space in the pocket because in the NFL, there isn’t as much space to mark,” McCarthy told reporters on Friday. Kirk Campbell, now Michigan’s offensive coordinator and entering his second season coaching the quarterbacks, said last week he has received a number of calls from NFL teams asking about McCarthy. His message has been direct and simple. “There’s not a can’t-miss with the guy,” Campbell said. “If you don’t draft him, you’re missing out. I’ve told all of them the same thing. Just love that kid.” With the NFL draft in Detroit on April 25-27, McCarthy sees that as “divine intervention.” “That’s the only thing I could think of,” McCarthy said. “All the stars are aligning. Everything about my whole process getting here, the journey we went through together as a team, and 18 guys going to the combine, and just ending it the way we ended it, and then with the cherry on top, with the draft in Detroit, it’s just amazing.”
