The Patriots will have a large presence at Michigan pro day to see J.J. McCarthy
Exactly where McCarthy is picked remains one of the more intriguing subplots heading into the NFL Draft.
The Patriots and J.J. McCarthy: As reigning national champions, Michigan football’s pro day will predictably be a well-attended affair by NFL scouts, coaches, and other executives on Friday.
At the center of it will be Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy, one of the more intriguing prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. McCarthy led Michigan to its first football national title since Tom Brady was a student in Ann Arbor, but his draft stock currently resides below a trio of other quarterbacks: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels.
Predicting where McCarthy gets picked remains a toss-up, with projections ranging across the first round.
The Patriots, seemingly intent on drafting a quarterback following the decision to trade Mac Jones to the Jaguars, will be well represented in Michigan on Friday.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, and head coach Jerod Mayo (who joined the contingent following their earlier visit to USC’s pro day) will be on-hand to watch the proceedings.
Granted, this is no guarantee that New England will look to draft McCarthy, and the group will inevitably also watch several other Wolverines prospects. Yet even if it’s just for due diligence—a standard pre-draft move for almost every NFL team—the Patriots’ presence is notable.
If New England ended up taking McCarthy with the third pick, it would be a major surprise to draft analysts. And if the Patriots elect to trade back, McCarthy would be a possible option farther back in the first round.
McCarthy’s stats look less impressive than his fellow projected first-round quarterbacks, but that’s also because of how the Wolverines’ offense operated. He was efficient, throwing just four interceptions all season and completing 72.3 percent of his passes.
Trivia: According to Pro Football Reference, who is the only Michigan quarterback to be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He will reportedly be in attendance at the pro day, but (no longer) as a University of Michigan employee.
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Kolten Wong couldn’t believe it: Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela appeared to run into an easy out at second base in a spring training game on Thursday, but managed to evade the tag and shock the Orioles’ infielder.
On this day: In 1972, the Red Sox and Yankees completed a rare trade, and Boston players were openly unhappy about it.
The deal: The Red Sox, unsure of who would play first base in the upcoming season, traded versatile reliever Sparky Lyle to New York in exchange for a player to be named later (utility infielder Mario Guerrero was eventually dealt) and first baseman Danny Cater.
Cater, then 32, was far from the most impressive first basemen. He was coming off a season in New York in which he hit .276 with four home runs (with a .672 OPS).
Lyle, 26 at the time of the deal, had totaled a 2.75 ERA in 1971, pitching 52.1 innings in 50 appearances.
“It’s dumb, that’s what it is,” said inimitable Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee to Boston Globe reporter Peter Gammons after hearing the news. Lee pointed out that Boston not only had 21-year-old Cecil Cooper—who had hit .354 with a .923 OPS in Boston’s minor league system the year before—but also could’ve just played future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski at first as well.
Lee was proven correct, as Cater never played more than 100 games in any of his three seasons with the Red Sox (he averaged .262 in that time with a .685 OPS).
Lyle, in contrast, went on to make three All-Star teams in his seven seasons with the Yankees, a period in which he posted a lower ERA (2.41) than he averaged with the Red Sox. This was underscored by Lyle winning the 1977 American League Cy Young Award, going 13-5 in a league-leading 72 appearances (with a 2.17 ERA).
Daily highlight: Not the most dramatic highlight, but this Nikola Jokic no-look, behind-the-back pass is absurd. He also hit a shot from behind the backboard in the same game, posting yet another triple-double in the Nuggets’ win.
Trivia answer: Jim Harbaugh
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