3 Quarterbacks the Atlanta Falcons should be watching closely at the combine

2. J.J. McCarthy

Whether it is Jim Harbaugh going out of his way to praise his former quarterback or the discussion of J.J. being a far better athlete than we have seen there is a healthy level of hype around the quarterback. The problem for Falcons fans or any NFL fanbase that needs a quarterback is what we watched at Michigan.

When the game was on the line in the regular season or in the playoffs how often was J.J. the reason the team won? Often in the season's biggest moments, the team took the ball out of the quarterback's hands and focused on running the football and playing defense.

To some extent, this is Harbaugh and the style of football that he plays at every level. However, there are clear concerns when you consistently fail to trust your quarterback with the game on the line.

This is the chance that McCarthy needs to prove this narrative wrong and show teams what he is capable of in interviews and in this week's workouts. Much like Penix the Falcons should only consider drafting McCarthy if they are completely sold and the quarterback slips in the draft. They cannot draft J.J. as their only option.