Carson Strong Scouting Report: NFL Draft Prospect Report
Quarterback, Nevada Wolfpack, # 12
Measurements
6 ‘ 4 ” / 215 lbs
40 Time: 4.9-5.0 projection
Carson Strong NFL Draft Player Profile
Nevada QB Carson Strong
Carson Strong is a former 3-star recruit out of Wood High School. Wood High School is located in Vacaville, California. While at Wood High School, Strong was ranked as the 280th best player in California according to MaxPreps. Although he was a 3-year varsity letterman, he only really had one productive year. That was his junior year, where he completed 184 passes for 2,732 yards and 26 touchdowns. This was a very effective year for Strong because not only did he throw for 26 touchdowns, he had a completion percentage of 69.2%. I’m sure he would have been as effective his senior year, but he wasn’t able to play due to a knee injury.
Although he was not able to play a snap his senior year, he was still able to have a 3-star recruitment status and get an offer from the University of Nevada.
Carson Strong Strengths
Size
Carson Strong is the arguably the perfect size for a quarterback in today’s NFL. He stands at 6’4” and weighs 215 lbs. When watching his film, he is a fantastic all-around quarterback who uses their size when throwing and running the ball. To compare his size to a quarterback in the NFL, he is almost the same size as Jared Goff. Although Goff isn’t known for his ability to run the ball, he has enough agility to get positive yards. That is the case for Strong as well. He is primarily a pocket passer, but is not scared to move outside the pocket if needed.
Quick Release
One of Carson Strong’s biggest strengths is his quick release. He does a fantastic job of getting the ball to the receiver quickly on short throws. Basic skills like this is you like to see from an NFL caliber quarterback. In the NFL, you need to be able to push the ball up the field no matter how many yards you get per play. Being able to complete difficult short passes will help the efficiency of any offense in the NFL.
Accuracy
Strong is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football. He is ranked in the top 20 of all quarterbacks who have several snaps this year. So far this season, according to ESPN, he has completed 69.3% of passes and has a cumulative completion percentage of 67.2%. As I mention a lot in my scouting reports, consistency is key in the NFL and being an accurate QB is exactly what I am talking about.
Arm Strength
When watching his film, I started to realize that his name is very fitting to how he plays the game. Strong’s ability to throw the ball deep down the field is why I think that he is a top five quarterback in this draft. So far this season, PFF have graded his deep passing depth at an 82.7. When throwing the ball for 20 or more yards, he has completed 11 out of 32 attempts for 402 yards.
Although this completion percentage may be seen as a red flag, still getting 402 yards on only 11 completions is still very impressive. This shows that he has the raw arm strength to make plays deep down the field, but needs to improve his accuracy. For many people his deep throw accuracy should not be seen as a red flag just yet. After sitting behind an experienced quarterback for a few years, his deep throw accuracy should improve with time.
Carson Strong Weaknesses
Accuracy on Deep Throws
Nevada QB Carson Strong
As mentioned earlier when I talked about his arm strength, his accuracy when throwing the ball deep can be very inconsistent. When watching his film, I realized that he has a tendency to overthrow the ball. This is a red flag for me right now, because when throwing the ball deep down the field the last thing you want to do is hang the ball in the air. In the league, safeties will make him pay for misguided deep balls.
If I am the GM of an NFL team I would overlook this weakness and still take a shot on him. He has the arm talent to be a great QB at the NFL Level. He just needs to improve his touch before taking a snap in the NFL.
Hitting the Receiver in Stride
When watching his game against Fresno St. last season, I realized that he had a tendency to keep the ball in the pocket for too long. If you go back and watch the game, there are a few too many plays where he should have thrown the ball to where the receiver should be, instead of where he is. This can be improved upon, especially after learning from an experienced QB in the NFL.
Carson Strong Draft Stock
I have Carson Strong ranked as a top 5 quarterback. I can see that he has potential to become a starter in the NFL. If I had to project where he should be taken, it would be the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. I feel like this is a fair place for him to be drafted. He is still raw and will be a project when he first enters the National Football League. Some of our analysts believe he will go late first or early second round due to his position.
Final Thoughts on Carson Strong
I watched all of his film to complete the Carson Strong scouting report. I can say Carson Strong is a very good talent who gets overlooked more than he should. His arm talent is fantastic and can translate to the NFL right now. I do think that he is still very raw and needs to improve on his deep throw accuracy before stepping on the field in the NFL. Overall, Strong has potential to be a starting QB in the future if he works on perfecting a few mechanics.
Carson Strong NFL Comparison: Raw version of Jared Goff
Carson Strong Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis
