ORLANDO,Darden Clarke Fla. – Jim Harbaugh is doubling down on his confidence for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Harbaugh believes McCarthy – not USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye – is the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I’ve said it before and it’s well documented: I think he’s the best quarterback in the draft. That’s just what I think. It’s my opinion,” Harbaugh, the former Michigan coach and new Los Angeles Chargers coach, said during NFL league meetings on Monday.

And his reasoning? Well, it’s exactly the type of comment you’d expect from the quirky Harbaugh.

“He’s the one who plays quarterback of all the quarterbacks in the draft,” Harbaugh said of McCarthy. “There are great quarterbacks in the draft, but I think he plays quarterback the best of any quarterback in the draft.”

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Hey, you can’t blame Harbaugh for campaigning for his old starter.

While Williams, Daniels and Maye are widely considered the top 3 players in the 2024 NFL draft, McCarthy may be valued behind others in the field like Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix.

Still, Harbaugh says McCarthy has a killer instinct and a kind heart that also separates him from the others.

“He’ll be hit, and this killer comes out. Whether it’s good or it’s bad, he’s got an extra gear, especially when he’s challenged,” Harbaugh said.  

“And you also see the big personality, and do anything for another guy on the team, for a small kid that walks up to him. My son Jack feels like JJ is one of his really good friends. He’s incredible.

“Big market, small market. Cold weather, hot weather. It wouldn’t matter,” Harbaugh added on McCarthy, who was a two-year starter at Michigan, and completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns with four interceptions and a 167.4 passer rating last season.

McCarthy was 28-1 as Harbaugh’s quarterback at Michigan.