Post by Uncle on Apr 15, 2024 16:09:30 GMT -6
...and I quickly had him rising up the rankings after I got to see how good he is.
But yeah, my rankings are purely based on the stats and what I think when watching the games throughout the season. I try to jot down as much of my thoughts as I can throughout the season and I really do go back and reference what I wrote up at that time.
Here were my final comments on McCarthy, Penix, & Maye after some of their final games during the regular season:
- As explained in the Week 13 thread, JJ McCarthy had a solid outing and made some nice throws and more importantly, protected the football and allowed the rest of the team to win. On the other side, Kyle McCord played decent, but failed to protect the football and the 2 INT's he threw were crucial in close games like that vs a Top 5 team. It remains to be seen if the Buckeyes get another shot at a CFP "at-large" bid like did in 2022 (and almost upset Georgia in the CFP semifinal in Stroud's best-ever collegiate game), but unless there's chaos during Conference Championship weekend, I don't see them getting in. I do think McCord should stay in college 1 more year, though.
- In the "Apple Cup", I though Wash St QB Cam Ward outplayed Michael Penix, Jr, especially when you consider Ward was playing on a team with far less talent and was on the road in a hostile environment. Penix gets to move on to the PAC-12 Championship, but he just hasn't learned to take what defenses are giving him and keeps throwing low-% downfield deepshots when they aren't there.
- It was an interesting performance by Drake Maye in what was likely his last ever collegiate game; he was horribly early vs a very good NC State defense, but then used his legs (he ran for 100+ yds) to get UNC back in the game and then got back on-track through the air a little in the 2nd half. The Tarheels defense couldn't stop the Wolfpack so the game was never in-doubt or close, and Maye was battling through an injury, but he battled back. I do think this game epitomized his season and career: some good stats, but just inconsistent QB play throughout the game and the season for Maye. You can see that he does plenty of stuff well, but it's just never on display consistently throughout an entire game it seems. I don't think Maye is a slam-dunk QB prospect and he's going to need some development in the NFL.
- In the "Apple Cup", I though Wash St QB Cam Ward outplayed Michael Penix, Jr, especially when you consider Ward was playing on a team with far less talent and was on the road in a hostile environment. Penix gets to move on to the PAC-12 Championship, but he just hasn't learned to take what defenses are giving him and keeps throwing low-% downfield deepshots when they aren't there.
- It was an interesting performance by Drake Maye in what was likely his last ever collegiate game; he was horribly early vs a very good NC State defense, but then used his legs (he ran for 100+ yds) to get UNC back in the game and then got back on-track through the air a little in the 2nd half. The Tarheels defense couldn't stop the Wolfpack so the game was never in-doubt or close, and Maye was battling through an injury, but he battled back. I do think this game epitomized his season and career: some good stats, but just inconsistent QB play throughout the game and the season for Maye. You can see that he does plenty of stuff well, but it's just never on display consistently throughout an entire game it seems. I don't think Maye is a slam-dunk QB prospect and he's going to need some development in the NFL.
Thoughts after the PAC-12 Championship game between Nix/Penix:
I didn't think either QB had a Heisman-worthy game, but Penix came through with the repeated downfield shots on 1st down throughout the game and Nix mostly had to throw everything underneath.
The real MVP of the game was probably the Washington OL for keeping Penix clean for the majority of the night, and then possibly RB Dillon Johnson who showed some 3-down capability (good blitz pick-ups).
The real MVP of the game was probably the Washington OL for keeping Penix clean for the majority of the night, and then possibly RB Dillon Johnson who showed some 3-down capability (good blitz pick-ups).
Thoughts on McCarthy/Penix during National Championshp game:
McCarthy has had about 3 balls batted down at the LOS the past two games, and I haven't seen anything other than a fastball from him; no touch passes or feathering one in there. Granted, he doesn't have to because their rushing attack and defense are playing well, but if you're projecting him to the NFL, the CFP isn't exactly great tape for him, IMO...
Penix finally showed he can throw a little "dump-off" type of pass in the final drive of the first half, and it was effective in their TD drive, but man was it awkward watching him sorta "wing" a dump-off pass.
You can see the effect Michigan's defense vs Texas's defense is having on Penix...
Penix finally showed he can throw a little "dump-off" type of pass in the final drive of the first half, and it was effective in their TD drive, but man was it awkward watching him sorta "wing" a dump-off pass.
You can see the effect Michigan's defense vs Texas's defense is having on Penix...
I haven't strayed too far away from my thoughts, either and think many of the YouTube videos you watch now say pretty much the same things I saw on tape when I watched during the 2023 season. I've read-up on each of the Top 6 QB's from an off-field standpoint and their backgrounds to try and gain knowledge throughout the pre-Draft process, as well as try and comb through some "advanced" PFF statistics, and I would say McCarthy has risen for me there out of any of them as the more you read, the more you like and see what Harbaught saw in him.
I will say that I wasn't as high on Drake Maye at the start of the 2023 season and made several comments about Nix outplaying him in their Holiday Bowl game during the 2022 Bowl games, but I went back and re-watched that around Christmas 2023 and came away with the thought that yeah, Nix may have lead the final game-winning drive that sealed Oregon's win, but RB Bucky Irving was the Duck's MVP that game and Maye really did look more like an NFL QB than Nix did, which says a bunch considering how much more experienced Nix was compared to Maye...
...but my first set of comments above after watching Maye's final collegiate game @ NC State still ring true: I thought he would need some development time in the NFL then and I still think that.
... and neither is this Chris guy.