Tiki Barber 'Tired of' J.J. McCarthy, Giants NFL Draft Rumors, Calls Hype 'Inflated'

Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is not buying the J.J. McCarthy hype.

During an appearance on WFAN Sports radio, Barber spoke about how he doesn't believe McCarthy is a first-round caliber quarterback and worries about him translating to the pro level.

Barber added that McCarthy is "being inflated" due to former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's praise.

"Stop with the J.J. McCarthy thing," Barber said. "His film doesn't say he's a first-round quarterback. His film doesn't say 'I need to get rid of all my assets and draft this guy' because a lot of what he does doesn't translate."

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Barber continued by saying that the system McCarthy played in at Michigan called for him to simply follow directions in order to win. While this may work at college, Barber warned that McCarthy hasn't shown enough to garner the significant attention he has gotten in the pre-draft process.

If you judge McCarthy by team success, he would appear to be a slam dunk selection. He went 27-1 as the Wolverines starter and led the program to a national championship in 2023. However, he had relatively modest statistics, as he never eclipsed 3,000 passing yards in a single season.

Still, he was extremely efficient, with 49 career touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, and also showcased some duel-threat ability with more than 600 career rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also possesses a solid 6'3" frame and is just 21-years-old with plenty of room to grow.

The Giants have the No. 6 pick and could be in the market for a new quarterback as incumbent starter Daniel Jones has an out following the 2024 season.