Chargers News: Jim Harbaugh Calls J.J. McCarthy Best QB in the Draft

Eva Geitheim | Mar 26, 2024

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh holds quite the unpopular opinion: that J.J. McCarthy is the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I’ve said it before," Harbaugh told reporters at the NFL's owners meeting. "I think he’s [McCarthy's] the best quarterback in the draft. That’s just what I think. It’s my opinion. He’s the one who plays quarterback [the best]. Of all the quarterbacks that are in the draft – there are great quarterbacks in the draft – but I think he plays quarterback the best of any quarterback in the draft.”

For the majority of analysts, fans and teams, USC's Caleb Williams is regarded as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the Draft, and is expected to go first overall to the Chicago Bears. There is some debate about the ranking order of the other top quarterbacks in this draft, with McCarthy, LSU's Jayden Daniels, North Carolina's Drake Maye, Oregon's Bo Nix, and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. considered the next group of QB prospects.

Of course, Harbaugh has a bias having coached McCarthy at Michigan, including the two leaving the Wolverines to a National Championship win this past season. Under Harbaugh's tutelage, McCarthy was accurate and efficient for Michigan in 2023. McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns while tossing just four picks. He achieved this while completing 72.3% of his passes and averaging 9.0 yards per attempt.

Despite the success McCarthy had, he's often knocked for the offense not relying him. Instead, Michigan's offense typically ran through star running back Blake Corum. So much so, that in Michigan's game against Penn State last year, McCarthy attempted just eight passes. However, McCarthy was still one of the better quarterbacks in college football last year and is considered by many to be a first-round pick. He might not be viewed as the No. 1 quarterback by many outside of Harbaugh, but he's still on a great path.