College production summary feeding the v3.0 similarity vector. The engine weights these features against the prospect corpus (2000–present) to build the comp grid below.
Historical college players whose production curves most closely match J.J. McCarthy. Hit-label colouring tags each comp's eventual NFL outcome: elite, starter, bust, unknown (still developing or never reached the NFL). Click an NFL name to jump to its veteran page when available.
| College player | School | Class | Similarity | NFL outcome | NFL career | Career fp | Peak3 fp/g | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama | 2020 | 0.599 | starter | Tua Tagovailoa | 1159 | 16.7 | 7 |
| Deondre Francois | Florida State | 2019 | 0.588 | unknown | Deondre Francois | — | — | — |
| Jackson Arnold | Auburn | 2026 | 0.529 | unknown | Jackson Arnold | — | — | — |
| Hunter Dekkers | Iowa State | 2023 | 0.499 | unknown | Hunter Dekkers | — | — | — |
| Jaylen Henderson | Texas A&M | 2024 | 0.495 | unknown | Jaylen Henderson | — | — | — |
| Ken Dorsey | Miami (FL) | 2003 | 0.491 | bust | Ken Dorsey | 75 | 4.9 | 4 |
| Kevin Jennings | SMU | 2026 | 0.489 | unknown | Kevin Jennings | — | — | — |
| Tyler Palko | Pitt | 2007 | 0.484 | unknown | Tyler Palko | 27 | 2.6 | 2 |
| Avery Johnson | Kansas State | 2026 | 0.482 | unknown | Avery Johnson | — | — | — |
| Derek Anderson | Oregon State | 2005 | 0.481 | unknown | Derek Anderson | 583 | 11.8 | 13 |
| Jason Gesser | Washington State | 2003 | 0.480 | unknown | Jason Gesser | — | — | — |
| Gunner Stockton | Georgia | 2026 | 0.478 | unknown | Gunner Stockton | — | — | — |
| Cody Kessler | USC | 2016 | 0.474 | bust | Cody Kessler | 119 | 5.8 | 3 |
| Justin Thomas | Georgia Tech | 2017 | 0.474 | unknown | Justin Thomas | — | — | — |
| Tevin Washington | Georgia Tech | 2013 | 0.466 | unknown | Tevin Washington | — | — | — |
| A.J. McCarron | Alabama | 2014 | 0.465 | unknown | A.J. McCarron | — | — | — |
| Tanner McKee | Stanford | 2023 | 0.460 | unknown | Tanner McKee | 73 | 9.3 | 3 |
| Keith Price | Washington | 2014 | 0.459 | unknown | Keith Price | — | — | — |
| Jett Duffey | Texas Tech | 2020 | 0.452 | unknown | Jett Duffey | — | — | — |
| Eli Manning | Ole Miss | 2004 | 0.451 | starter | Eli Manning | 3254 | 17.5 | 16 |
| Brooks Bollinger | Wisconsin | 2003 | 0.444 | bust | Brooks Bollinger | 121 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Heinrich Haarberg | Nebraska | 2024 | 0.444 | unknown | Heinrich Haarberg | — | — | — |
| Christian Ponder | Florida State | 2011 | 0.442 | unknown | Christian Ponder | 432 | 11.6 | 4 |
| Logan Thomas | Virginia Tech | 2014 | 0.441 | unknown | Logan Thomas | — | — | — |
| Matt Jones | Arkansas | 2005 | 0.439 | unknown | Matt Jones | — | — | — |
Methodology details: v3.0 prospect engine — PR 3 similarity, PR 4 projection, PR 5 back-test.