J.J. McCarthy’s Compelling QB Ranking from PFF
PFF recently dropped a piece detailing their quarterback rankings, judging every single projected starting signal caller for each team in the NFL from 1 to 32, and our guy J.J. McCarthy’s positioning within the ranks of his peers may surprise you.
Usually, when you’re talking about a kid who’s never taken an actual NFL snap, the ceiling you’re giving them is maybe 26th or 27th. PFF did stay true to this commonly used philosophy once, ranking New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough at 32nd, which, of course, is last.
However, there are two other signal callers on this list that haven’t played an NFL snap yet, and ranked 25th or better: Cam Ward, the first overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the most recent edition of the NFL Draft at 25th, and at 21st sits Jonathan James McCarthy.
21st can be considered the lower-end of the average starting QBs in professional American football, which is an impressive shout from PFF for McCarthy, but that isn’t even the most intriguing part.
The most intriguing part comes when you take a look at the QBs behind the young QB. McCarthy was rated the third-highest out of any QB that was taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Yes, even over Caleb Williams, the world’s biggest Vikings fan. The two ahead of McCarthy were, of course, Jayden Daniels, who ranked 6th, and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix, who came 19th.
Williams ranked 24th, Michael Penix Jr. ranked 23rd, and Drake Maye ranked 22nd. You can even look back a little further and see another fascinating name that McCarthy ranks ahead of: Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold came in 26th, under Tier 5, which PFF designated as the “veterans capable of solid play but could be replaced quickly.” Ouch.
It is true, though, that Darnold could be replaced by Seattle’s brass quickly. The way his contract is structured gives the Seahawks the ability to get out of the contract after just the first year if they deem that Darnold isn’t the guy quickly. Adding to this, the Seahawks selected Alabama QB Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. No pressure, Samuel.
Very interesting to see that PFF ranked McCarthy multiple spots ahead of Darnold, but it’s for good reason. Consider the reasoning of McCarthy’s placement by John Kosko, the author of the rankings:
I’m leaning on my personal evaluation here, as I had McCarthy as the top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. We didn’t get to see him as a rookie, but his 2023 season at Michigan — where he earned a 92.2 PFF grade and a 93.4 passing grade — highlighted everything you want in a young passer. If he’s fully healthy in 2025, and considering what Sam Darnold managed in this offense, McCarthy is set up to succeed.
And his reasoning for Sam Darnold dropping down the ranks, as his tenure with the Vikings remains relevant in the discussion of which Darnold shows up in the Pacific Northwest in September:
The big question for Darnold and the Seahawks is which version of the quarterback shows up in 2025. Will it be the one we saw from 2018 to 2023, when his highest-graded season was just a 66.0 as he struggled with decision-making and offensive consistency? Or will it be the quarterback who earned an 85.8 grade over the first 17 weeks of the 2024 season and helped lead the Vikings to 14 wins? His late-season regression and playoff struggles were concerning, and he’ll be working with a less talented supporting cast in Seattle.
McCarthy is gaining confidence amongst some notable outlets, and it’s great to see.