Meh, what else is the QB coach supposed to be doing on March 12th when there is only one pro day taking place that has any talent? These guys don't just attend pro days for one specific player or one specific draft. They're taking notes for the future too. When McDaniels had the #7 pick, and Jimmy G. under contract, he was still attending pro days and evaluating QB's he had no chance of getting in the draft, like Stroud and Bryce Young.
And beyond that, part of the scouting process is closing your eyes and trying to see the future.
“Some of this is you have to look at the traits that they have and then project them into your system with your development and say, ‘Where is this guy going to be three years from now?” McDaniels said.
That’s because the next two years belong to Jimmy Garoppolo, a quarterback McDaniels once nurtured and then thrust into the air to see him fly. Garoppolo was the Patriots’ second-round pick in the 2014 draft and sat behind Tom Brady for his first two seasons. He replaced a suspended Brady for two starts in 2016 before the 49ers traded for him at the 2017 trade deadline.
For all we know, McCartney could be in the middle of some sort of west coast swing to look at other guys, meet with/talk to college coaches and on and on. My only point is the implication that the Pats have an interest in Nix because their QB coach is attending the Oregon pro day is nothing more than click bait shit. It's not like McCartney doesn't also have experience coaching players other than QB's, and I'm sure his input will be welcome. He's been an offensive assistant and tight ends coach in his career too.