JUNKIES: Tony Pauline would be 'very shocked' if J.J. McCarthy is Commanders' selection at No. 2

Tony Pauline is an NFL Draft Analyst for SportsKeeda, whose mock draft simulator is Cakes’ ‘new jam’ for now, as it allows fans to play GM and take a shot at doing their own mock drafts.

So, about all of those people, including some NFL execs, that think J.J. McCarthy might be the actual pick at No. 2 for Washington?

“I'd be shocked, very shocked,” Pauline said. “I think he's going to be the most over-drafted quarterback that we have probably seen the past five or six years.”

Really? The question then is, why?

“The thing is, he gets it between the ears, and is a confident quarterback with great moxie. You could see his leadership on the field, and that's going to come across in one-on-one interviews, and teams and coaches are going like that sort of football intellect that he has – a lot the Michigan guys have it. That’s going to be very impressive to them, and he threw relatively well during pro day,” Pauline said. “The problem is, when you watch McCarthy on film, he was never asked to carry that Michigan offense, because he never had to; they had such a great running game and, had seven outstanding offensive linemen, so he wasn't asked to consistently throw the ball 25-30 times a game – and the other thing is he doesn't have great arm strength, and that came through. He doesn't have that live arm that can get the ball between the tight windows, and a lot of those questionable passes that he makes on Saturday are going to be interceptions on Sunday. There's a lot of risk with J.J. McCarthy, and remember, Jayden Daniels’ pro day is on Wednesday, so let's see what the reports are coming out of that.”

So how does Pauline feel, then, about Drake Maye, who some feel may not be NFL ready per se right away?

“How many of these quarterbacks are really ready to step in on Day 1? Patrick Mahomes sat an entire year and look how that has turned out! Any rookie quarterback that steps in on Day 1, there's gonna be bumps in the road and could be disaster,” Pauline said. “I like Maye, I think he's got great size and a decent arm, and he's more than your prototypical pocket passer because he has the ability to get outside and make plays with his legs. He is sneaky elusive, if you will – you’re not going to really run too many designed quarterback runs with him, although he can get the job done. But the concern for me with Maye is he really struggled down the road with North Carolina, I think in large part because he was getting beat up and he was trying to do too much – and we saw that with Sam Howell, ironically. He's got a lot of upside, but he's gonna need a real good coach and real good development to reach the expectations that people have of him.”

And that said, Pauline pegged Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Pats at 3 in his last mock, so he would not be surprised if the QB streak stops at the Commanders at 2.

Take a listen to Pauline’s entire segment above, which includes thoughts on the wideout pecking order, the tackle depth in the draft, what some teams below the Commanders may do (especially QB-needy ones), and more!