Nothing brings out the takes quite like the lead-up to the NFL Draft. With the NFL Scouting Combine completed and the draft less than two months away, the takes are starting to heat up.

While talking QB prospects on ESPN’s “Get Up,” former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum dropped a wild hypothetical, suggesting Michigan QB JJ McCarthy could have put up Jayden Daniels-like numbers at LSU.

“(McCarthy) is a winner, he can make all the throws and what’s really interesting to me is if he had played for LSU. What would his stats look like?” Tannenbaum asked Monday, per On3.

“They’d look a lot closer to Jayden Daniels. If Jayden Daniels was at Michigan, his stats would look a lot closer to JJ McCarthy. And that’s where this debate is so much fun and so interesting, but he can do everything, like that workout shows he can make every throw with great anticipation and really good arm strength.”

Daniels’ 2023 numbers were unheard of. He won the Heisman Trophy by accumulating 4,946 yards of total offense (3,812 passing,  1,134 rushing). Daniels averaged 412.2 total yards of offense per game, besting second-place Drake Maye by 74 yards (338.1).

Statistically, Daniels averaged a first down every time he received a snap, posting 10.71 yards per play of total offense (4,946 yards on 462 plays). Daniels led the nation in passing touchdowns with 40 in the regular season and posted a passer rating of 208.1, the highest in FBS history. (Bo Nix finished with 45 passing touchdowns after playing in two postseason games.)

McCarthy passed for 2,991 yards over 15 games, with a rating of 167.43. He rushed 64 times for 202 yards. McCarthy’s average yards/game was 212.9 (8.06 yards per play). McCarthy did his job guiding Michigan to a national championship, but his statlines show he wasn’t the type of QB to take over a game like Daniels.

Tannenbaum is free to sing McCarthy’s praises and be high on the Michigan quarterback as a draft prospect. It appears he’s not alone in seeing a brighter future for McCarthy as a pro prospect. Ben Solak of The Ringer reported Monday that there was notable buzz at the Combine about McCarthy potentially being drafted before Daniels.

Those who follow the draft know that a lot of factors go into which players are picked where, and it’s not just college stats. If McCarthy is ultimately drafted before Daniels, it may come down to size. At 6-4, 210 pounds, Daniels’ build raises some durability concerns taking repeated hits from NFL defenses. McCarthy measures 6-2.5 and 219 pounds.

Suggesting McCarthy could put up Daniels-like numbers at LSU, though, adds nothing to the pre-draft conversation and only takes away from Daniels’ historic season by implying his numbers were inflated by LSU’s offensive system and supporting cast.

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