Meet the 2021 NFL Draft wildcard in QB Carson Strong
The 2021 NFL Draft crop of quarterbacks is certainly an interesting one. There are four clear frontrunners at the top of the class in the form of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, and BYU’s Zach Wilson. However the drop off after those four is steep, unless a wildcard redshirt sophomore were to declare. That wildcard is Nevada’s Carson Strong.
With the likes of Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Alabama’s Mac Jones, and Florida’s Kyle Trask headlining the second tier of quarterbacks in this class, Strong has the potential to top them all should he enter his name after just two seasons with the Wolfpack. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Strong has a big time arm, giving him a high ceiling.
We take a deep dive into Strong here.
Looking at the numbers
A year ago, Strong put himself on the radar after beating out Last Chance U star Malik Henry out for the starting job at the University of Nevada. In 2019, Strong tossed for a cool 2,335 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman; he completed 63 percent of his passes, but threw seven interceptions for the Wolfpack.
2020 has shown a big leap in the play of Strong as he potentially prepares for the 2021 NFL Draft. In just eight games thus far, Strong has seen a six percent increase in his completion percentage as he has thrown 22 touchdowns to just four interceptions. On the year Strong has racked up 2,587 yards through the air with presumably one game to go in his redshirt sophomore season.
Now turning to the tape, where does Strong thrive when he steps on the field?