Daily Slop – 24 Feb 24: Mark Bullock profiles Michigan QB JJ McCarthy

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Draft Profile: Michigan Quarterback J.J. McCarthy

Breaking down Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy to see what makes him one of the top QB prospects in this draft class

McCarthy is also one of the youngest players in this draft, having only just turned 21 in January. So when evaluating him, you have to consider both his youth and lack of experience. With that in mind it’s easy to understand why he’s such a raw prospect that could use with some more experience, but the fundamental tools are all there.

The first thing that stands out when watching McCarthy is his willingness to attack the middle of the field. A lot of college quarterbacks favor attacking outside the numbers because there’s less risk out there with less defenders to worry about. But in the NFL, teams look to attack the middle of the field because that’s where there is huge opportunity to pick up explosive gains after the catch. McCarthy shows zero fear in throwing the ball over the middle of the field.

As you can see in this clip, McCarthy loves to attack the middle of the field. If he sees even the smallest possible window over the middle, he’ll take his shot. Now that can get him in trouble sometimes, and I’ll certainly get to that later on, but for now I want to focus on the positives. The plays in this clip show just how good he can be when attacking the middle of the field. The first play is probably one of his best throws of the season with a tight end running over the middle as a linebacker tries to carry him up the seam. McCarthy makes the decision to throw the ball well before the tight end has cleared the linebacker, in fact his throwing motion begins before he’s even level with the linebacker, but he’s so confident in his receiver and his own ability to throw to a spot that he pulls the trigger anyway. His confidence is clearly well placed as he fits the ball perfectly to his tight end for a touchdown.

The second play of the clip shows McCarthy finding a tight end again over the middle on third and six, placing the ball perfectly in his stride but unfortunately the tight end drops it. The third play of the clip is an incredible throw. The outside receiver runs a switch release with the slot receiver to get into the seam before breaking further inside on a skinny post. The defense rotates the safeties, starting with two deep but rotating to single high with a robber underneath. McCarthy also gets pressure in his face as he looks to make his throw, but despite that he’s able to deliver a fantastic pass layered over the top of the robber and hits his receiver in the chest before he gets to the deep safety, but unfortunately the ball was dropped again.

The fourth play of the clip is another insane throw and one that he probably doesn’t get away with in the NFL. He again looks to hit a deep over route, this time against Ohio State. I’m not sure he saw the safety in position or not, but he made the throw anyway and got lucky the safety just turned his eyes towards the receiver instead of reading the throw. By turning his head, the safety loses track of the ball and McCarthy somehow manages to find a way to fit the ball into the tightest of windows between the safety and the trailing corner. The end zone angle is the best view of how insane this throw is.

McCarthy isn’t just great at attacking the middle of the field, he’s also very happy to throw the ball in the seams.

[I]t is important to remember that McCarthy is still very young. He was just 20 when playing these games this season and he played in a system that was built around running the ball and play-action off of those runs. He’s still very raw in terms of experience and will have plenty of room to grow and develop those negative aspects of his game. The positive side of that coin is that he’s clearly extremely talented for a quarterback so young, so the ceiling for him is very high. The raw fundamental tools are all there for him and the skill set fits perfectly with the trend of Shanahan-style offenses around the NFL. He may well be best suited to sit a year behind a veteran, but don’t be surprised if one of those Shanahan disciples drafts him early and looks to insulate him with a run-heavy attack and lets him showcase his skills in the play-action game.

Commanders Wire

Commanders sign linebacker Keandre Jones

The team announced it had signed free-agent linebacker Keandre Jones. Jones, 26, is a native of Olney, Md., and played high school football at Good Counsel. He committed to Ohio State out of high school, where he spent three seasons before transferring to Maryland for his final season in 2019.

Jones was a college teammate of Terry McLaurin, Chase Young and the late Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State.

Jones signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 NFL draft. The Bears waived him during final cuts that summer, and he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.

Jones played three seasons for the Bengals, appearing in eight games and making four tackles. He was waived during final cuts last summer and did not play in 2023.

Commanders.com

Five things to know about DL coach Darryl Tapp

2. He had a long NFL career.

Tapp was regarded as one of the better defensive end prospects in the 2006 NFL Draft and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round. That started a lengthy 12-year career, and no matter where he went, Tapp established himself as a solid contributor.

Tapp spent four seasons in Seattle, becoming a starter after his rookie season. He hit his peak with the Seahawks in 2007, the only time he started a full season, ranking third on the team with seven sacks and 10th with 49 tackles. Tapp continued to be a disruptive pass-rusher in his final two seasons with the team, grabbing 7.5 sacks and forcing four fumbles, before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick and signed a three-year contract with the team.

Tapp played in 39 games for the Eagles with three starts before signing a one-year deal with Washington ahead of the 2013 season. Tapp played in 11 games for the Burgundy & Gold, recording 10 tackles and a sack. From there, Tapp spent two seasons with the Detroit Lions before wrapping up his career with one-year stints in New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

Over the 12 seasons that Tapp was in the NFL, he played in 165 games with 39 starts. He recorded 332 tackles (262 solo) with 100 quarterback hits, 29 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Sports Illustrated

Commanders Coach Larry Izzo Benefits from Playing For Bill Belichick, Patriots

Before becoming a special teams coach, Washington Commanders special teams coordinator Larry Izzo spent much of his career playing for the New England Patriots.

“The time I spent in New England was awesome. I’ve won a lot, and I learned a lot about football and situational football and just all three phases. How important the special teams phase is to a team’s success and how we have to serve the team and play good complementary football, control field position, and all of those things that will help you win games. So yeah, my time in New England was definitely something that helped shape me.”

Izzo has also won as a coach, as in his first year as an assistant special teams coach with the New York Giants in 2011, they won the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Izzo held that role from 2011 to 2015 before becoming the Houston Texans’ special teams coordinator for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Izzo then became the assistant special teams coordinator in Seattle for three seasons from 2018 to 2020 before being promoted to special teams coordinator in 2021 and leading the unit for the last three years. The Seahawks were third in the NFL in net average (44.1) on punts and fourth in average yards per punt (50).

The Seahawks were eighth in average yards per punt return (10.6) and tied for third in average yards per kick return (26.2). They also had the second-most returns of 20-plus yards (24).

Commanders Wire

NFL sets 2024 salary cap at $255.4 million, Commanders gain nearly $13 million more than anticipated

The NFL set the 2024 cap at $255.4 million, a $30.6 million increase from 2023. It’s the most significant increase since the NFL introduced the salary cap in 1994.

No team enters free agency with more cap space than the Washington Commanders…. Washington has $75.2 million in effective cap space, a projection after the team signs its draft class and top 51 players.

NFL.com

2024 NFL offseason: All 32 teams’ RB situations ahead of free agency, draft

Washington Commanders

Top RBs under contract for 2024: Brian Robinson Jr., Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Key free agents: Antonio Gibson (UFA), Derrick Gore (RFA), Alex Armah (FB; UFA)

The Commanders’ run game disappointed under Eric Bieniemy but could get a boost with Kliff Kingsbury taking over. In his first three seasons in Arizona, Kingsbury’s offense ranked in the top 10 in rush yards each year and was top seven in attempts twice. Robinson offers a powerful back with some potential. I also liked what we saw down the stretch from Rodriguez, whose gashing style could fit well in Kingsbury’s system. With a boatload of cash to spend, don’t be surprised if Washington makes a backfield splash, particularly someone with pass-catching ability. Dan Quinn certainly knows all about what Tony Pollard brings to the table from their time together in Dallas.

Podcasts & videos

Coordinators Kingsbury and Whitt Jr. join the show | Command Center | Washington Commanders

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Big Blue View

Giants trading up from No. 6 for a QB ‘very much in play’ — Daniel Jeremiah

Would GM Joe Schoen really do this?

Well-connected NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah said Thursday during a draft conference call that moving from No. 6 to No. 3, which would guarantee the Giants one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft class, is “very much in play.”

“I know you have one more year of Daniel Jones before they could kind of get out of that contract, but I think that would be something that would be very much in play,” Jeremiah said.

The precedent for a move from No. 6 to No. 3, a pick currently held by the New England Patriots, was set in 2018. That year, the New York Jets gave the Indianapolis Colts three second-round picks — two in 2018 and one in 2019 — to move up and select Sam Darnold.

“It’s a steep price to pay. A little bit of a premium there,” Jeremiah said. “You could get up to three with the ammunition that they have and get that done. I would not rule that out.”

While a quarterback move like that might be awkward for the Giants in 2024, Jeremiah said a lack of enthusiasm around the league about the 2025 quarterback draft class could be an argument in favor of trying to find your quarterback of the future now.

“There doesn’t seem to be as much excitement at this point in the process about next year’s guys,” Jeremiah said. “I think that could lead to some action, spur some action for these teams to try and either take one where they are and maybe even be aggressive and go up and get one.”

Giants’ GM Joe Schoen was assistant GM in Buffalo when the Bills engineered a pair of trades to get from No. 21 to No. 7 to select Josh Allen. So, Schoen has seen that ‘go for broke’ strategy work.

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NFL.com

Top NFL stars who should be traded this offseason

Stefon Diggs

Buffalo Bills · WR

Josh Allen’s cap hit jumps to more than $47 million in the 2024 season. In related news, the Bills are currently more than $55 million in the red, per Over The Cap. Buffalo can save more than $22 million in cap space with a post-June 1 trade of Diggs. The Bills should just move on and reallocate the money elsewhere.

After all, once Joe Brady took over as coordinator last season, the offense shifted from Diggs to RB James Cook. The Bills became more of a running team under Brady — who earned the full-time gig in January — meaning Diggs became more of a luxury. Kind of like a satellite cable service: It might have been cool a decade ago; now it’s just a fancy decoration on your roof.

And let’s be honest: Diggs has created some headaches in Orchard Park in recent years. Heck, trade him to his brother’s team in Dallas, so Trevon will refrain from firing off tweets like this one.

Brandon Aiyuk

San Francisco 49ers · WR

OK, I’m not entirely sure I’d want to do this. Aiyuk is one of the most underrated receivers in the league. And honestly, if I were looking for a high-impact wideout, this might be the guy I’d target, factoring in possible trade compensation and what it will cost to extend him beyond this year, the last on his rookie deal. He’s like the Nordstrom Rack version of Justin Jefferson here. That’s not shade! I like the guy and think he could be a steal of sorts.

But all that said, the 49ers are in a spot where they probably can’t afford to keep him, given all the other big-money players on the roster. And Aiyuk might not mind a fresh start where he can serve as more of an offensive centerpiece.

Oh, and before we move on from the WR portion of this file …

While some of you might expect to see Davante Adams’ name on this list, I’m just not feeling that. For starters, he seems to love Las Vegas. Furthermore, I feel like the Raiders are either going to trade for a quarterback (like Justin Fields) or — more likely — they will draft a quarterback. And nothing will help that new signal-caller more than having an established superstar to lean on in the passing game. Just ask Bryce Young how much he would have liked to throw to DJ Moore this past season.

Derrick Brown

Carolina Panthers · DT

Brown is a solid piece, and you could reason that he should be considered the anchor for a young defense. But his contract is up after the coming campaign. Do you see the Panthers, fresh off a 2-15 disaster of a season, legitimately competing in 2024?

The Panthers, who gave up a whole bunch to secure Bryce Young’s services in last year’s draft (including their first-round selection this April and second-rounder in the 2025 draft), need to restock the draft coffers with picks.

NFL.com

Rams’ Sean McVay, Bills’ Sean McDermott newest NFL Competition Committee members

A couple of Seans — Rams coach Sean McVay and Bills coach Sean McDermott — have joined the committee, the NFL announced on Thursday. Their arrival fills two of the three seats left vacant by Ron Rivera, Frank Reich and Mike Vrabel, who were all fired by their respective teams either during or following the conclusion of the 2023 season.

2024 is shaping up to be another important year for the committee, which will evaluate the latest potential changes to the league’s set of rules regarding competition, player safety and possible further implementation of the latest technologies. The committee’s changes come just one week before the group meets in Indianapolis to continue its annual review of all aspects of the sport.

The Athletic (paywall)

Where will Jimmy Garoppolo play in 2024? 9 options for the soon-to-be ex-Raiders QB

Washington Commanders

Washington would appear to be a long shot, as Garoppolo had a rough breakup with Kyle Shanahan and former 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters is now running the show in Washington. Assuming the Commanders take Drake Maye with the No. 2 pick, there are plenty of other veteran backup options available.

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