What was JJ McCarthy's 40 time at NFL Combine?
J.J. McCarthy, fresh off winning a National Championship as the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines, is set to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy finished the 2023 season with just under 3,000 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions while rushing for over 200 yards with another three touchdowns.
McCarthy will not run for the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine due to a hamstring injury but ahead of Michigan's 2023 campaign, he reportedly ran a 4.48.
Where would McCarthy's 40 time rank all-time at the quarterback position?
Player | Time (Year) |
|---|---|
1. Michael Vick | 4.33 (2001) |
2. Reggie McNeal | 4.40 (2006) |
3. Robert Griffin III | 4.41 (2011) |
4. Anthony Richardson | 4.43 (2023) |
5. Justin Fields | 4.45 (2021) |
If McCarthy's 40-time ahead of the 2023 season is still accurate, he's not far off from Fields' time. This table above proves that being a fast quarterback isn't necessarily an important attribute to being a good NFL quarterback. Out of the three players on this list who are no longer in the league, only Vick went on to have a lengthy career. Griffin played for seven seasons for three different teams while McNeal played just one year.
Fastest 40-yard dash times in NFL history:
Player | Time (Year) |
|---|---|
1. John Ross, WR | 4.22 (2017) |
T1. Donte' Stallworth, WR | 4.22 (2002) |
3. Kalon Barnes, CB | 4.23 (2022) |
4. Chris Johnson, RB | 4.24 (2008) |
5. DJ Turner II, CB | 4.26 (2023) |
T5. Dri Archer, WR | 4.26 (2014) |
T5. Tariq Woolen, CB | 4.26 (2022) |
8. Henry Ruggs III, WR | 4.27 (2020) |
T8. Anthony Schwartz, WR | 4.27 (2021) |
T8. Marquise Goodwin, WR | 4.27 (2013) |
As you can see, no quarterbacks make the cut of fastest 40-times. That's because while speed can be useful when playing the position, it's not required. Tom Brady is considered to be the greatest quarterback of all-time and he was not fast.
McCarthy's decent 40-time from before the 2023 season began might pique teams' interests. He's definitely one of the bigger wild cards at the quarterback position in this draft class. Will he end up going in the first round? If so, how early?
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