'The best QB in the draft': What Jim Harbaugh's praise of J.J. McCarthy means for NY Giants

ORLANDO, Fla. - Jim Harbaugh was asked a question similar to those his former star quarterback at Michigan has had to answer in countless meetings with prospective suitors over the past two months, including an all-day affair with the New York Giants in East Rutherford two weeks ago.

How will J.J. McCarthy handle the pressure of playing in, say, a Giant market in New York?

Now the head coach of the Chargers, Harbaugh believes the 21-year-old he considers the best quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft - not surprisingly - will embrace the opportunity and thrive like he has all challenges before.

“He is like the perfect blend of Jim McCarthy and Megan McCarthy,” Harbaugh said of the quarterback’s parents during Monday morning's AFC Coaches Breakfast at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Jim McCarthy, great gift of personality and empathy and competitiveness and just bigger than life. And then there is Megan. She is quiet but a stone-cold killer. If somebody were to do something to the family you would see a tiger. And that’s J.J.

“It doesn’t matter,” he continued. “They could be adulating him – ‘J.J! We love J.J!’ – or if he’s being booed or being hit, and this killer comes out. Whether it’s good, whether it’s bad, he has an extra gear, especially when he is challenged. And you also see the big personality and the do-anything-for-another-guy-on-the-team or a small kid who walks up to him. My son Jack feels like J.J. is one of his really good friends. He’s incredible. Big market, small market. Cold weather, hot weather. It won’t matter."

What matters to the Giants, of course, is whether they believe McCarthy is worthy of the No. 6 overall selection, which they currently hold; and even more so, if they would have to give up additional assets to prevent teams like the Vikings, the Broncos and the Raiders from jumping them and picking the quarterback instead.

A twist to this story is the fact that Harbaugh, new general manager Joe Hortiz and the Chargers are currently sitting at No. 5, one spot ahead of the Giants.

If the first four picks in the draft are quarterbacks, as Harbaugh suggested several times Monday, the Chargers could benefit tremendously with first choice of all other position players and Justin Herbert, their QB, already on the roster.

As the Giants prepare for a potential franchise-altering draft, they have already dug deep on the headliners of the Class of 2024 at quarterback and how they may fit with Big Blue. They met with quarterbacks Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington at the Senior Bowl, and had formal interviews with the rest, including USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels of LSU and McCarthy.

Williams is expected to go No. 1 to the Bears, while Washington has been pegged to take either Maye or Daniels with the Patriots in line to select the other. That leaves the Cardinals at No. 4 and a spot where, if a team wants McCarthy, that might be a pick to go after.

If the Giants go through their process and identify a quarterback who can lift them higher than they believe Daniel Jones can, circumstances being what they are with his ACL recovery and two neck injuries in the last three years, the belief here is that general manager Joe Schoen will have the green light to make the call.

“I think he’s the best quarterback in the draft,” Harbaugh said of McCarthy, who met with the Giants at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis before taking an official Top 30 visit to their North Jersey training facility. It's likely the Giants will also have a private workout with McCarthy and North Carolina's Drake Maye, in addition to several others, between now and the draft festivities, which kick off April 25 in Detroit. “That’s just what I think, just my opinion. He’s the one who plays quarterback of all the quarterbacks in the draft. There are great quarterbacks in the draft, but I think he plays quarterback the best of any quarterback in the draft.”

McCarthy’s on-field statistical production and the overall volume of his passing attempts does not match that of Williams and Daniels, the last two Heisman Trophy winners. But Harbaugh believes another part of his resume as a national champion equals things up quite a bit.

“It’s still important, right, the winning?” Harbaugh asked rhetorically. “The most important thing. It speaks for itself. J.J. is a winner.”

Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and passing game coordinator/QB coach Shea Tierney represented the team at Michigan's Pro Day last Friday. Schoen and coach Brian Daboll spent a lot of time with McCarthy on his pre-draft visit.

“You hear coaches and GMs come up to me and say ‘Hey, great job with J.J.,’” Harbaugh said. “Like I predicted, once they were around him, I was hearing the stories about how he is on the board, how he is on the field, the little things, the intangibles. It was absolutely no surprise whatsoever, but there was raving. It was great to hear, incredible to hear, and I know it was sincere. It was unsolicited. But there were numerous, numerous GMs, numerous head coaches, who couldn’t say enough good things.”

If the Giants are part of that group, McCarthy might just wind up as their next quarterback of the future.

And make no mistake: Harbaugh could end up playing a big role in that: first as McCarthy's college coach and No. 1 fan, next as a key decision maker for the Chargers who may find themselves in position to determine where he goes.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: J.J. McCarthy: What Jim Harbaugh's praise means for NY Giants