A year ago, we started the NFL Draft cycle seeing three clear first round picks in the form of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance. Throughout the season we saw Zach Wilson climb the boards with BYU, and Mac Jones enter his name into the conversation as well. This 2022 NFL Draft class will need to hope for that as well.
While names like Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler are seen at the top of the list with North Carolina’s Sam Howell and USC’s Kedon Slovis, there is a dark horse to monitor as well. After a dazzling redshirt sophomore season with the Nevada Wolfpack, Carson Strong now looks poised to take another leap as well.
Looking at the box score of the 2022 NFL Draft dark horse
Carson Strong saw his first action as the starting quarterback at Nevada in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. In that season he finished with 2,335 yards passing and 11 touchdowns in ten games. Strong also threw seven interceptions and completed 63 percent of his passes for the Wolfpack offense. We saw an improved Strong, and a big leap, in the 2020 season.
In nine games in the shortened season this past fall, Strong saw his completion percentage rise to 70 percent, and his interceptions drop to just four. Additionally, Strong threw for 2,858 yards and 27 touchdowns. If Strong takes yet another leap, we could be talking about a big-time talent coming out of the Mountain West yet again as Strong could follow in the steps of Josh Allen and Jordan Love as first round picks.
Looking at the strengths of Strong’s game
Winning the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, Strong put his big-time talents on display for the Wolfpack. Up there with Rattler, Strong lives up to his namesake as he has one of the strongest arms in the class (if not the strongest). Not only can Strong toss the ball a country mile down the field, but he can also zip the football into some tight windows at the short-to-intermediate levels as well.
Whether many people pick up on it or not, Strong is also tasked with a load of responsibilities pre-snap as well in the Nevada offense. Every play, Strong is making checks at the line of scrimmage, calling out blitzers, and guiding his receivers into the correct alignments. This type of headiness will translate well to the NFL as he has to learn a whole new playbook.
The third element of Strong’s game that really stands out is his footwork and timing in the pocket. Strong executes the short game well, hitting his receivers at the top of his drop. He maintains active feet in the pocket as he works through progressions, showing the ability to manipulate the pocket and step into throwing lanes.
As Strong looks to take his game to another level, where are some areas of needed improvement?
Where can Strong improve his game?
The first area of needed improvement in the game of Strong comes with his accuracy. Strong’s accuracy is not horrid, falling in the top-five range in the class, but overall he sits with about average accuracy. On target on about 68 percent of his overall throws, Strong was on target on just 58 percent of his deep balls and 68 percent of his passes outside the numbers. This is where the money is made at the next level.
Strong’s throwing motion needs sped up as well. While his overall arm speed is okay, the Nevada quarterback tends to dip the ball down to his belly button before beginning his throwing motion. His elbow also dips below a 90-degree angle as well, resulting in a slow release, masking the true speed of his arm. A little work on his mechanics could result in a faster process for Strong heading into the future.
While Strong’s pocket presence is excellent and his feet are on point, he does get a little antsy when he feels pressure. This causes him to drift back and to the right of the pocket and forces him to make a much tougher play on the run instead of stepping into a window. Overall, however, Strong has a great base to build off of as he looks to take another step in his development at the college level before the 2022 NFL Draft.
Can Carson Strong take the 2022 NFL Draft by storm?
Over the past four drafts, we have seen at least two quarterbacks drafted in the top-10, and three or more in three of those years. If Strong finishes as a top-four or three quarterback, we could be looking at a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. In fact, just this past draft, five quarterbacks went off the board in the top-15. Needless to say, the sky is the limit for Strong and his draft stock.
There is even reason to believe he could have been drafted above Alabama’s Mac Jones should he have declared after his redshirt sophomore. Instead, he opted to return to school and could see his stock rise up a bit further. There could be a number of teams who could be in the market for Strong in 2022.
Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network sees the potential in Strong as well:
"“The redshirt sophomore is a gunslinger who makes good decisions with the ball. Strong did a much better job of not locking onto receivers as the game progressed, and he’s shown a lot of progress since last season. He has incredible upside and the physical gifts to lead a franchise at the next level.”"
Some of those teams include the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts if Carson Wentz does not pan out, and the New Orleans Saints. Should he climb to the top of the board in 2022, then we are talking about the possibility of the Houston Texans or Detroit Lions landing a new face of the franchise in Strong.