Klatt: McCarthy might be too similar to Wilson for Payton’s liking

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy might be more of a project than other quarterbacks who appear to be in the second tier of passers in this year’s NFL Draft class. And he might need developmental time in order to be ready for an NFL starting assignment.

But in the eyes of Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, there is something else that could ensure that McCarthy isn’t a fit for the Broncos and Sean Payton’s offense: He has similarities to the quarterback the Broncos just benched in Week 17, Russell Wilson.

“I think J.J. in some ways is a version — although not totally similar — but a version of Russell Wilson,” Klatt said on Denver Sports/104.3 The Fan on Wednesday morning. “So, I don’t think that is the best marriage or fit that I see in this draft.”

.@CFBONFOX’s @joelklatt doesn’t see J.J. McCarthy as a fit for Sean Payton … & his comp is eye-opening: “I think J.J. in some ways is a version — although not totally similar — of Russell Wilson. So, I don’t think that is the best marriage or fit that I see in this draft.” pic.twitter.com/EaJ9aFN9Xi

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 18, 2024

It’s nothing against McCarthy, Klatt insists. But Payton’s system wants the quarterback to distribute in a way he didn’t for Michigan.

“If you put him into a scenario where he’s got five free releases and he’s in the shotgun, and he’s gonna be forced to make post-snap downfield reads more than 12, 15 times a game — that’s not really what he did in college,” Klatt said. “Maybe he can develop into that in the National Football League, but to me, Sean’s offense is best when he’s got a point guard — a real, true point guard at the quarterback position, not really a complementary piece to the run game and play-action.”

McCarthy is a fit for some teams, Klatt noted. Just not the Broncos and Payton.

“It’s not that J.J. is not a good player, because he is. He’s an excellent player,” Klatt said.

“J.J. in a complementary offense really does a lot of things well. He’s better in play-action than he is straight drop-back. So, having a coach that understands that, having the ability to play with extra gaps in the run game, extra tight ends, and then threatening the secondary with tight ends, that’s the type of offense and structure and schematics that I think he would thrive in, because that’s what he thrived in in college.”