Thursday, April 25, 2024

Michigan Thursday: Big Day for JJ

JJ has had a ton of dreams come true in the last few months.  He finished a 15-0 season with a National Championship in January and now he will be drafted in 1st round of the NFL Draft tonight in Detroit.  JJ is not expected to attend and will enjoy the night with family and friends. 


I want to address the "talking heads" who doubt JJ because he didn't throw 40 times a game.  Booger McFarland on ESPN should not be able to speak about any offensive players, because his takes are offensive. 

Here is why JJ will make a great franchise QB:
  1. He has been trained by Jim Harbaugh one of the best QB coaches on the planet for 3 years:  For example, see Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, revived Alex Smith's career, and turned Iowa throw away QB Jake Rudock into an NFL Backup QB in one year. 
  2. Ran an NFL balanced offense 
  3. Has the mental capability to handle big games and makes quick decisions with the ball. 
  4. Strong Arm 
  5. A winner 
  6. Good Athlete 
Anytime you draft a QB high in the draft, it's a gamble.  I watched a number of Caleb Williams games last season.  That offense was a mess and he was running for his life on most downs.  He is a very good athlete but he would not be my first draft pick.  He is not going to have that type of time in the NFL and I think he will throw a ton of picks.  Comp for me is: Jameis Winston, will look great and terrible in the same game. 

Jayden Daniels, wants to be the best running back QB in the NFL.  He is talented but reminds me of RG3.  I worry about the length of his career.  What is the old saying, "there aren't any old running QB's".

Drake Maye is more of mystery to me then JJ is for the media.  I did not watch a ton of Drake at UNC as that team was terrible.  What I did see was not impressive.  Yes, he has the size and looks like the prototypical QB, but I wonder about him in the NYC spotlight for example.  Comp is Daniel Jones for me. 

I think JJ is just as good or better then the QB's above.  It's hard for me to be objective when I've seen every snap JJ has taken in the last 3 years vs. other QB's.  Michael Penix I think is a very well rounded QB. Being 24, history of 4 bad injuries, and how Minter got him seeing ghosts in the championship game is hurting his draft stock. 

The WR class might be better than the QB class this year. 

  • Michigan has depth needs at CB and Safety.  Rumor is that Keon Sabb wishes he didn't leave after learning of Rod's injury.  So when we learned DJ Waller entered the transfer portal.  Best guess is another program made an illegal contact and offered him a nice NIL deal.  Also Hill and Berry have been playing well in practice.  Look for DJ to maybe land at Kentucky. 
  • Michigan might have only 1 player taken in the 1st round.  Long shot 1st rounders could be Kris Jenkins, Junior Colston, and Mikey Sainristil. 
  • Michigan has offered 2026 QB Brady Hart (his parents have to be Michigan fans right?)

9 comments:

Goblu said...

Think a QB pick is almost 100% a gamble - see late round Purdy & Brady, vs. the entire 2021 first round class.

Can Saab re-enter the portal? Assume no.

Tim said...

GoBlue: Agreed. Almost all first round QB's are a gamble. Between Penix, JJ, Williams, Maye and Daniels...very good chance at least three will be on a team other than the one that drafted them in four years.

I thought same thing about Saab, can he enter the portal again?

Brady2017 said...

TV analysts like McFarland don't watch any games or film. They look at the stat sheets the producers put in front of them and talk off that. In other words, they're talking out of their ass.

J.J. is everything Bob mentioned, plus he is humble and doesn't play 'Hero Ball' like Caleb Williams. J.J. also played against the best competition in the biggest games and rose to the occasion. Yes, he's thrown a few picks, but when has he ever lost a game? TCU wasn't his best, but he was a redshirt freshman in a Final Four game.

No need to listen to 97.1 this week. Every show the same, "Who would you pick? Who would you pick?" which no one has gotten right the last 10 years.

Kentucky has to be one of the dirtiest programs around. I can smell Vince Marrow from here.

Brady2017 said...

I saw a great 30 second clip of Dusty talking to a crowd of Michigan students. It looked like they were outside behind a frat house or something. Dusty told them that he's counting on their support for next year, and said I promised you a Final Four and we're gonnna get there! Wow. I'm ready to run through a brick wall for this guy!

ScottyDoggs said...

I am excited for JJ ..... going from college ball to Pro's and counting "millions" in a huge multi-million-dollar contract has to be "quite the rush". Normally the draft does not interest me.

Chowman said...

Biggest reason QBs are more of a gamble now is not many college teams play a pure pro offense. Many don't even play under center...EVER. Other play a lot of read option. While NFL teams will mix in some read option, a steady dose of read option plays will end your QBs career in the NFL. Other schools run very simple offenses, like Hugh Freeze for example. His offense at Ole Miss was a single read offense. WR is open or the QB runs. There was no going thru progressions!

The salary cap also contributes to the high bust rate. Guys a thrust into starting jobs before they are ready. Most teams can't afford to do what GB did and draft and stash an Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love. Also GMs get 2 or 3 years max to turn stuff around. That too forces coaches to throw young QBs to the woodchipper.

Goblu said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Goblu said...

I live in DC, and am praying that 'skins DON'T draft JJ. That franchise is a killer of careers.

Brady2017 said...

Goblu- Maybe Washington will be better now that Snyder is gone. Ownership is huge.

Chowman- Yes, checkdowns. The most important QB attribute is the 6 inches of space between their ears. Tom Brady out thought every defense he played.