‘Urgency to rebuild’ stood out to J.J. McCarthy during pre-draft visit with Patriots

McCarthy was one of four quarterbacks to visit Gillette Stadium over the last few weeks.

Less than four months after Bill Belichick’s departure, the New England Patriots are still in the early parts of their rebuild. One big step in that process will be taken this week, however, with the team expected to select a potential franchise quarterback high in the draft.

Among the candidates to arrive in New England is J.J. McCarthy out of the University of Michigan. One of just four reported passers to visit the team at Gillette Stadium during the pre-draft process — alongside LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. — McCarthy projects as a top-10 selection on Thursday night.

Whether the Patriots like what he has to offer remains to be seen; there are rumblings he does have fans in the building. Meanwhile, McCarthy himself appears to like what he experienced during his recent trip to One Patriot Place.

Appearing on the Adam Schefter Podcast, the national champion spoke about the possibility of him ending up in New England and being a key piece in the rebuild.

McCarthy said that is would be an “honor” to join the team, referencing its history of success. He also shared his impressions of his visit.

“I met with Mr. Kraft — the coolest, smoothest guy I’ve met in a long time. Just being able to know that you’re in good hands when the Kraft family is running that whole thing,” he said.

“And obviously Coach Mayo’s been apart of that success over the years. And what he’s building is a feeling that I got when I first stepped onto Michigan — a sense of urgency to rebuild the culture, rebuild this team to where they want to get to and where they were, bringing so many guys back like Matthew Slater and Danny Amendola. You can tell that they’re on the path to success, and they’re doing it the right way.”

McCarthy seems to have mixed up the names of two former Patriots players, Danny Amendola and the team’s recently hired linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower. He appears to have done his homework on the organization and both its current structure and its history, though.

A massive part of that history is, of course, another former Wolverine: Tom Brady, who led the organization to six Super Bowl titles in 19 seasons as a starter. Given that they share an alma mater, McCarthy and the greatest quarterback of all time are no strangers to one another either.

“Tom and I have a great relationship. I asked him questions all throughout the season, stuff like that. Trying not to bother him too much,” McCarthy said.

“I’m always about playing for the guys that came before, the guys who built the foundation to where it is right now. Obviously being a part of the New England Patriots, that means everything. Going back to when Brady was playing and how he was doing it for Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, and Ty Law, and all those guys. Being able to pay that forward would be a tremendous honor.”

McCarthy himself is one of the most polarizing prospects in this year’s draft. While he led Michigan to a National Championship and looked very competent as the school’s starting quarterback the last two years, he also played a smaller role within his offense compared to other quarterbacks such as the aforementioned Daniels, Maye and Penix Jr.

The 21-year-old does not see a problem with that, however. Instead, he points to his role as one cog in a larger machine — a mindset he vows to keep entering the NFL.

“That’s one thing that I really pride myself on: I’ll adapt to anything,” he said. “Whatever the coach wants me to do, I’ll adapt and you want hear a beep about me. Because I’m not going to let my personal motives affect what the team wants.”