NFL combine: Ryan Leaf calls Michigan's J.J. McCarthy most intriguing QB in Indianapolis

Shortly after leaving Michigan to take the Los Angeles Chargers' head coaching position, former Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh continued to make headlines when he told Colin Cowherd he believes Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be "the No. 1 quarterback off the board" in this year's NFL draft.

"Arm talent, athleticism, it-factor, winning with numbing repetition. ... That's my prediction right now. When people get a load of J.J. and how he can throw the ball, how he spins it, his athleticism, his intelligence," Harbaugh told Cowherd on his show "The Herd."

Those same sentiments have resurfaced in a similar form heading into this week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, as former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf went on Monday's edition of "Good Morning Football" on the NFL Network and called McCarthy the most intriguing quarterback at the combine.

Much like Harbaugh, Leaf pointed to McCarthy's passing ability as one of his more "fascinating" features in his assessment.

"I find him fascinating because for how good this five-star recruit was out of Illinois, they didn't ask him to be Superman ever," Leaf said. "There were moments in games, especially against Penn State in a big win after Jim Harbaugh was suspended where he didn't throw a pass for the entire second half of the football game and you are talking about that a first-round draft pick and you don't utilize that right arm?"

McCarthy, one of 18 Wolverines who were invited to this year's combine, is expected to be one of a handful of quarterbacks who will throw in front of scouts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.

Throughout the last two seasons, the 6-foot-3 quarterback showed to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in college football with his abilities to win on the ground or in the air. But as Leaf aforementioned, McCarthy didn't need to put always together winning drives for the Wolverines through his passing game because of the talent that surrounded him on offense, namely Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson and Colston Loveland. In the game against Penn State that Leaf alluded to, McCarthy only threw the ball eight times for 60 yards on seven completions. The Wolverines won the game behind Corum's 145 yards and two touchdowns and McCarthy's run game down the stretch.

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Therefore, Leaf believes there is more in McCarthy's tank that hasn't been touched or seen yet, making him someone to keep a close eye out for on Saturday when quarterbacks go through positional drills and combine events.

"It's just fascinating to me what that is going to be," Leaf said. "And to see Daniel (Jeremiah), who I trust a whole ton have him as a top 10 draft pick in his mock draft tells me that this kid is incredibly talented and he has been undersold because of how good and talented that football team is all the way around. So for me, he makes it to be the most fascinating quarterback heading into the combine."

J.J. McCarthy NFL draft projections

McCarthy is projected as a first-round pick in April's draft. The former Wolverine is ranked the No. 27 prospect in this year's draft class by NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, who is the only NFL draft analyst to have McCarthy being taken in the top 10 in mock drafts. He is ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr's No. 4 ranked quarterback in this class.

Here's a look at where some NFL draft analysts have McCarthy going in their mock drafts:

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr (as of Jan. 23): No. 16 to the Seattle Seahawks

ESPN's Field Yates (as of Feb. 14): No. 12 overall to the Denver Broncos

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah (as of Feb. 20): No. 8 overall to the Falcons

The Athletic (as of Feb. 22): No. 9 overall to the Broncos (through a trade up)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former NFL quarterback calls Michigan's J.J. McCarthy most intriguing QB at NFL Combine