Former NFL star T.J. Houshmandzadeh all in on Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
As pundits and plaudits debate just how good (or not) former Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy is, McCarthy has a former NFL star in his corner.
On Monday, former Bengals standout T.J. Houshmandzadeh appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd and talked about some of the NFL draft talent and waxed poetic about McCarthy. While McCarthy has been dinged for what people think his true size is, Houshmandzadeh noted he definitely looks bigger than many claim him to be.
“I like J.J., man — I really do!” Houshmandzadeh said. “And I don’t know how much he weighed, but I’ve been seeing J.J. since the summer. He’s looked like he was more than 205 in the summer to me. So, I didn’t think he was 205 when I saw him, he looked like he was 215. He’s always been a nice-sized dude.”
McCarthy is actually even bigger than that, weighing in at 219 pounds at the NFL scouting combine this year. For comparison, Caleb Williams weighed in at 214 pounds, Drake Maye at 223, and Jayden Daniels at 210.
What’s more, Houshmandzadeh says both the tangibles as well as his demeanor are traits that cannot be taught and would serve any NFL team well.
“I go to the combine this year and he’s on my flight,” Houshmandzadeh said. “And we’re not in the same — the entire flight, he’s just diagramming plays and going over other stuff. The entire flight! And I’m like, ‘Is this dude ever gonna stop?’ The whole flight!
“And so I was able to sit down, spend some time with him. I really like J.J. a lot. I really do. Great arm — not a good arm, a great arm. He’s accurate, he knows how to win, and that’s what matters. You’ve gotta be able to win. You’ve got to be in a tough situation and winning is all you know, you always feel like you’ve got a chance. Guys are going to feed off of that because they’re gonna know how you feel about it.
"Great arm, not a good arm."
— @housh84 is in on J.J. McCarthy pic.twitter.com/jEbejkUEw5
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 25, 2024
Still, many will continue to downplay McCarthy’s talent as well as his success. Regardless, some teams are looking heavily at selecting him even earlier than previously expected, because undefined than online draft sleuths.
