Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was predicted by Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports to be traded up for by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hope of Kenny Pickett becoming a long-term quarterback, Tom Fornelli from CBS Sports remains skeptical.
On February 23, Fornelli made a prediction in an NFL mock draft that stated the Steelers would pick J.J. McCarthy as their quarterback from Michigan.
In order to acquire McCarthy, Fornelli suggested that the Steelers should engage in a trade-up maneuver to secure ninth place in the 2024 NFL draft.
Fornelli wrote that the Steelers have acknowledged Kenny Pickett is not the solution and will not waste any effort attempting to rectify it. He added that Arthur Smith’s strategy will probably be centered on running plays, play action passes, and utilizing tight ends; this echoes McCarthy’s approach at Michigan!
His strong arm, quick defense diagnosis skills and ability to extend drives through running make him a suitable match for this team.
During his three seasons at Michigan, McCarthy managed to achieve a completion percentage of 67.6%, while also averaging 8.7 yards per pass attempt and recording an impressive total of 49 touchdowns with merely just eleven interceptions thrown in the mix.
At the beginning of his collegiate journey, he achieved an impressive score of 28 wins and only one loss. Bringing glory to Wolverines after a long hiatus since 1997, McCarthy steered them towards their latest national championship victory in the prior season.
McCarthy achieved a 60% pass completion rate, throwing for 361 yards and scoring three touchdowns without any interceptions during the college football playoffs that took place in 2023-24.
Possible rewrite: Exploring How J.J. McCarthy Would Mesh With the Steelers
There are a few reasons why McCarthy is an intriguing quarterback prospect.
Clearly, his college success can be attributed to a remarkable running game and superior defense within the system he played in for McCarthy’s exceptional win-loss record.
According to Ted Nguyen of The Athletic, the national champion Wolverines did not rely on McCarthy as their main force. However, it remains uncertain whether they chose to prioritize running plays at the cost of fewer explosive ones because they lacked trust in McCarthy or in their offensive line’s capacity for protecting during passing plays.
Despite having a strong offensive line that excelled at run-blocking, the Wolverines faced challenges with pass protection against formidable opponents.
McCarthy’s individual skills have been gaining more fame in recent weeks.
In his second mock draft on February 20, Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network predicted that McCarthy would be selected at No. 8. However, just three days later on February 23, Brad Biggs from The Chicago Tribune projected McCarthy to go even higher at pick No.6.
In a mock draft by Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, McCarthy was linked to the Steelers at pick No. 20 in late January.
It seems that McCarthy’s appeal is increasing. Despite the draft still being two months away, there are doubts about his availability for the Steelers at No. 20 if they express interest in him.
Is the Steelers Abandoning Quarterback Kenny Pickett?
The Steelers’ interest in McCarthy is not the main concern; rather, it’s whether they are ready to part ways with Pickett.
Throughout the offseason, NFL analysts have speculated about potential quarterback options for the Steelers in both free agency and the draft. Additionally, a prevalent rumor has been that they may pursue Justin Fields through a trade.
Publicly, the Steelers have endorsed Pickett as their prospective starter in 2024.
Tomlin announced during his post-season press conference on January 18th that they already had Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback for the year 2024 in their current roster.
After the February 12 release of Mitch Trubisky, the Steelers have only Pickett listed as their signal caller.
According to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on February 17, the Steelers have no intention of acquiring a new starting quarterback.
The Steelers may still select a quarterback, despite this. Tomlin emphasized in his press conference after the season ended that they aim to provide Pickett with some competition.
Spencer Rattler, Sam Hartman and other intriguing late-round quarterback choices are also available.
Unless the Steelers alter their stance on Pickett, it would not be pragmatic for them to pursue a quarterback in the initial round, let alone trade up for one.
It is highly probable that the Steelers will acquire competition for Pickett, either through a re-signing of Mason Rudolph or by signing another veteran player in free agency.