It’s been less than two months since the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh, and he’s already outsmarting the entire NFL. On March 27th, while ranking this year's draft class quarterbacks, I ranked J.J. McCarthy ahead of Drake Maye. The reason I did so was the incredible amount of praise McCarthy received during his predraft process, especially from his former coach, Jim Harbaugh. Following McCarthy’s pro day, Harbaugh voluntarily said “I've been to a lot of pro day workouts and watched quarterbacks throw, that was the best I've ever seen a quarterback do at a pro day”.
A couple of hours after releasing the article, I realized that I may have been duped by Harbaugh. Colin Cowherd mentioned on his show, that as a prospect, McCarthy has a lot of similarities to Zach Wilson. If so, why would Jim Harbaugh speak so highly of him? Creating a fake narrative that there’s a fourth top-tier quarterback prospect would be extremely beneficial for Harbaugh and the Chargers. Here’s why:
TRADE UP:
The teams in possession of the first three picks all need a quarterback. However, both the Cardinals at four and the Chargers at 5 have franchise quarterbacks. After the Cardinals lost Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore this offseason, they’ll probably draft a receiver. Likewise, the Chargers, who have the following pick, lost Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this past offseason. Therefore, they’re looking for a receiver as well. This year’s receiver class has one receiver out ahead of the pack. Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State is the best receiver in the pack. Hence, Harbaugh and the Chargers want to trade into the top-3 to leapfrog the Cardinals and select Harrison Jr.
If the teams in the top three are under the impression that there are four elite quarterback prospects, they’ll be more open to trading down to five. That’s because the Chargers aren’t drafting a quarterback, so no matter what happens, or what trades go down, at least one of the big-4 quarterbacks will remain at pick five.
TRADE DOWN:
If the Chargers fail to trade up, the false narrative will help them even more. Three elite quarterback prospects will be off the board when the fifth pick comes around. Consequently, a team in need of a quarterback, that is under the impression that there’s one last elite quarterback available, will be desperate to move up and snag him. Therefore, they’ll give the Chargers anything they ask for. Furthermore, if the Chargers miss out on Marvin Harrison Jr., they will have three options for second-tier receivers. In addition, three of the teams in possession of the following four picks, have already added multiple offensive weapons this offseason. Therefore, the Chargers can move down 5 spots without being concerned about missing out on the second-tier receivers. If Harbaugh can get himself an extra first-round pick next year and still draft a guy like Rome Odunze, he’ll take it any day of the week.
In conclusion, creating predraft hype and false narratives can be used to a team’s advantage. JJ McCarthy’s draft stock is skyrocketing, but it might just be that Jim Harbaugh is cooking up a storm. I can’t guarantee anything, but if they do make a trade… NFL teams, hire me.
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