Why the Bears Interest in J.J. McCarthy?

The Bears had a good-sized contingent of coaches and personnel people at Friday's Michigan pro day watching QB J.J. McCarthy, strange considering they own the first pick and can simply take Caleb Williams.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrates after the national title win over Washington. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

For a team with the first pick of the draft and all eyes on USC's Caleb Williams, the Bears had an awful lot of interest in Michigan.

The Wolverines pro day on Friday attracted a good crowd of personnel people, and Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy reported they had coach Matt Eberflus, GM Ryan Poles, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and wide receivers coach Chris Beatty in attendance.

This isn't to suggest they were all there to see quarterback J.J. McCarthy work out, but that is one possibility.

PRO-DAY UPDATE: Only fitting that national champs @UMichFootball, with record 18 Combine invitees, have biggest NFL turnout for pro-day.

Here's list of NFL attendees who'll be in Ann Arbor today, including former UM & current Chargers coaches Jim Harbaugh, Jesse Minter, & Ben… pic.twitter.com/ogpVnaJ35V

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 22, 2024

They did have him up for a formal meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine, he is from the western suburbs of Chicago and let's face it, his first initial is J, his last name starts "Mc" and the only Bears Super Bowl champions had a quarterback whose first name began with J and last name with Mc.

Seriously, though, they need to be well informed on all options at the position because a last-second, franchise-altering deal for the first pick could always surface. As Poles once said, they'd need to be blown away. But this time it would need to take more because the Bears don't have a starting quarterback in place and Williams is the best option.

Teams prepare for all eventualities in the draft. It's the reason Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan was seen at the Notre Dame pro day on Thursday putting Joe Alt through one of his workouts, the kind like he gave to Darnell Wright last year before the Bears drafted him at No. l.

McCarthy would be a different type of quarterback than Williams. He's more well-tested as a passer, though definitely not as experienced as a winner. He threw for 44 fewer touchdown passes as Williams had 93 of them ton 49 by McCarthy. Williams was passing all the time, it seemed, with 1,099 attempts to McCarthy's 713.

Style of play aside, McCarthy is not as tested as a passer but commands respect.

"He's a field general," Michigan running back Blake Corum said at the combine. "He's going to manage the game really well and he's athletic, he can run out the pocket, he can throw the deep ball, check down, medium sized passes. You name it, J.J. can do it.

"And most importantly, he's just a good dude. He's a good leader, that leader you want your organization to follow, the quarterback. He's the general of the team and I'm excited to see what he does at the next level because his ceiling is so high. He didn't even tap into his potential."

This is what might also scare off the NFL personnel people. Judging from the way McCarthy has risen from well down the Day 1 chart or even in Day 2 to now being talked about with the other quarterbacks at the top in a "Big Four," it's something doesn't scare off too many.

While McCarthy doesn't have a huge arm, he apparently gets it done.

"It's amazing," Michigan receiver Roman Wilson said. "You expect the unexpected. He's going to do whatever it takes to get you the ball. Sometimes he's going to make a crazy throw you're not expecting to see."

Wilson clarified this idea of a pass you're not expecting to see and in that aspect, it sounds a bit like Williams.

"He throws a ball, I'm like, 'holy (blank) he just made that throw,' " Wilson said. "He's an unreal guy, amazing arm talent. I feel like he should be every GM's dream quarterback."

The lack of numbers also pertains to Wilson, since the Michigan running attack was always high priority. There weren't as many opportunities, but Wilson could be a second-day steal even with 107 catches in four years for 1,707 yards. The eye-popping part of his work is the touchdown catch total, especially last year. He had 20 for his career, 12 last season.

The Bears could be looking at a wide receiver with their third-round pick if they opt for an edge rusher in Round 1 at No. 9 or by trading back.

One reason to like Michigan players over a player from USC or southern schools is the experience factor playing in cold weather. Another reason to like a receiver from Michigan is the emphasis on blocking.

The Bears had this emphasis as well, but that was in Luke Getsy's offense. It's still to be determined how much of a priority for receivers it is in Shane Waldron's offense.

In Wilson, they'd be getting a receiver who does block.

"(Michigan) Coach (Ron) Bellamy (receivers coach and passing game coordinator) likes to say 'no block, no rock,' " Wilson said. "So that definitely sticks with me.

"It's another opportunity to not score a touchdown or make a catch but make a play. Go in and dig out a safety or make a key block to help the running back, kind of became a big deal for something and was something I took pride in."

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