That's fair, and I'm not suggesting McCarthy doesn't have warts. I was higher on him in the fall and soured a bit as the season went on. I was stunned at how little he did ... or was asked to do. To be fair, there were probably a few reasons why Michigan turned to a run-heavy offense. Their O line and RBs were great, their WRs average, and their OC, Sherrone Moore, is a former O lineman. And sure, McCarthy was part of that calculus.
Where I'm at is ... if the Pats had the #1 pick, I'd draft Williams without a second thought. And at #2 I'd draft Daniels, though with some concerns, mostly about his durability.
But at #3 and with Maye on the board, I begin to think about alternatives. I'm not saying it'd be crazy to draft him -- I don't know enough to make that claim -- but there's so much about his game that makes me nervous. Admittedly, you have to dig for this info, because if you just look at his highlights, he's pretty impressive.
Anyway, both Maye and McCarthy are raw, and so the question for me isn't who has the higher ceiling -- that's Maye -- but rather who's likely to reach at least 90% of his potential? To me, it's McCarthy. I like his character and leadership. He's got a quicker trigger. He's a better runner. He played against better competition. He's got a higher big time play percentage, a lower turnover worthy play percentage, and a higher adjusted completion percentage (again, per this
video). And he's, allegedly, the best QB in the draft on
third and long.