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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Grading Michael Penix Jr., JJ McCarthy, and All Participating Quarterbacks at the NFL Combine

Day three of the 2024 NFL Combine had ten passers throw with various levels of success.

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Mar 2
Mar 2

By Alec Nederveld

Sam Hartman

The Notre Dame QB generally was accurate on short passes but arm strength was a weakness. This was seen with Sam Hartman having the slowest velocity at only 53 mph and didn’t have a zip like other passers. Hartman physically tested well, the 6’1″, 211 build matched the Notre Dame roster, and his 9 3/4″ hands are solid. He also ran a respectable 4.8 40.

Grade: C-

Devin Leary

I was pleasantly surprised by Devin Leary and what he did at the combine. He was inconsistent at Kentucky last season but put everything together in Indy. His arm was legit and while accuracy wasn’t perfect, it was good overall. Leary’s footwork and mechanics were also shockingly good. He certainly will see his stock rise.

Grade: B+

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J.J. McCarthy

The National Championship-winning QB had doubts in the past but looked pretty good to me. His weight was one of the biggest surprises of the combine as he bulked up to 219 after being listed as 202. Outside of that, the smallest hand size of the combine (9″) and being a half-inch shorter than the Michigan roster are knocks.

On the field, McCarthy showed great velocity on throws with generally good accuracy. He had a lot of overthrows on sail routes and inconsistent deep balls, but those were common misses and somewhat expected. It was disappointing to not see McCarthy not run the 40 or jump as he claimed injury, but overall looked very good.

Grade: B+

Joe Milton III

As expected, Joe Milton III showed a cannon of an arm which was the highlight for any QB at the combine. His deep ball skied for over 70 yards in the air and was on target. Overall, accuracy was one of the worst, but quite frankly was still better than I expected going into today.

Milton was just as physically dominant as expected. His build was just as expected – 6’5″, 235 pounds with the second largest hands in the field(10 1/4″). The questions that have plagued Milton from being more successful still exist, but today showed what the QB can be.

Grade: B

Bo Nix

Overall, I think Bo Nix was the most accurate QB of the first group. His passes on streaks weren’t great but they don’t diminish what Nix did overall. I would have liked to see more velocity from his throws, but that’s a minor criticism. The Oregon QB also had very good footwork and clean mechanics which are more important. Nix’s physical profile was solid as expected and he came out of the Combine better than when he arrived. 

Grade: A-

Michael Penix Jr.

As a pure thrower, Michael Penix Jr. might be the best in the draft and he put it on full display today. The Washington QB rarely missed a throw and by far had the tightest spiral. Milton’s arm is incomparable for anybody, but Penix probably has the second strongest arm of those competing.

Off the field, Penix had great measurables and medical news. Standing at only 6’2″ 216, he had the biggest hands (10 1/2″), longest arms (33 5/8″), and wingspan (81) of all QBs. More importantly, Penix’s medical results were “extremely positive” and he has “no issues going forward”, per Ian Rapoport. You can’t ask for a better combine.

Grade: A+

Michael Pratt

The Tulane QB looked decent, but nothing out of this world in the combine. Michael Pratt showed good touch on passes, alongside average arm strength and throw power. Pratt also measured poorly with relatively small 9 1/4″ hands and 30 1/4″ arms but was one of the most athletic quarterbacks. He had the highest vertical (36) and tied for the fastest shuttle (4.23) among QBs.

Grade: C

Spencer Rattler

Spencer Rattler had a great Senior Bowl and continued that with a very good combine performance. I was a big fan of his timing during the throwing session and he showed good accuracy too. Rattler’s arm may not be the strongest, but it’s still pretty good and NFL caliber. Poor athletic ability and a shorter build than listed (6’0″ 211 at the combine vs 6’1″ 218 on South Carolina’s 2023 roster) are some of the only things holding Rattler back from rising more.

Grade: B

Austin Reed

Reed’s combine performance was very similar to Hartman’s, but that’s not a good thing. I liked the accuracy, but his deep balls were the worst of all QBs. Athletic Ability is nothing special either. He’s a similar but worse QB compared to fellow Western Kentucky alum Bailey Zappe and he hasn’t had much NFL success himself.

Grade: D+

Kedon Slovis

A well-traveled QB, Slovis surprised with his 40-yard time. He led all QBs with a 4.55 time, especially impressive considering he never had positive rushing yards in his five collegiate seasons. On the field, Slovis was inconsistent with ball placement, although I liked his footwork. Having 9 7/8″ inch hands are a boost as well.

Grade: C+

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