Report: NFL Scout Says J.J. McCarthy 'Would Be Joe Burrow' If Michigan Threw More | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to draw comparisons to Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow leading up to the 2024 NFL draft.

Speaking on the Matt Barrie Show (25 second mark), ESPN's Matt Miller said he spoke to one NFL scout "who said J.J. McCarthy would be Joe Burrow if he were on a team that threw the ball."

"There's a lot of love for J.J. McCarthy among the scouting community. He's tough as hell. He's got a big arm. He's a very good athlete and he's coachable," Miller added.

Miller reported last month that one NFL executive compared McCarthy' skillset to that of Burrow "because of his mobility, toughness, winning mentality and ability to hit every throw."

"McCarthy isn't really allowed to do a lot at Michigan, but he's so gritty and tough," an NFC general manager added. "The moxie is through the roof. And he's a much better all-around passer than he gets credit for."

The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department recently ranked McCarthy the fourth-best quarterback available in the class of 2024 behind UNC's Drake Maye, USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels.

The B/R Scouting Department had him listed as the seventh-best signal-caller available prior to the Senior Bowl. He leapfrogged the likes of Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix.

"McCarthy fits best in a Shanahan-style system that simplifies things pre-snap and leans into throws over the middle of the field with the help of play action. He has the requisite arm talent and pocket toughness to function in that system. Even still, McCarthy will take time to develop his ability to progress from the pocket and, hopefully, add weight and strength."

McCarthy spent his entire three-year college career at Michigan, and he's coming off his best season with the Wolverines in 2023. He completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns against four interceptions in 15 games, in addition to rushing for 202 yards and three scores.

In part thanks to McCarthy, Michigan went undefeated and captured its first College Football Playoff national title with a win over Washington.

With the NFL Combine coming up, it's possible McCarthy will only improve his draft stock leading up to the draft. Considering he's already drawing comparisons to Burrow, one lucky team could end up with a franchise quarterback.