Nevada Football’s Carson Strong can become a first-round pick

After a dazzling 2020 season, Nevada football’s Carson Strong is expected to make a huge leap and should be on many draft boards in 2022.

Over the course of the years, there have been many quarterbacks selected in the first rounds, that didn’t reside within the confines of the Power 5 conferences. From Carson Wentz and Trey Lance at North Dakota State to Josh Allen of Wyoming and Nevada’s own Jordan Love.

Another quarterback that should be generating a lot of buzz is Nevada football quarterback Carson Strong.

Strong is 6’4 and weighs 215 lbs. He has been the starter of the wolfpack over the past two seasons and has accumulated over 5,000 passing yards.

His junior campaign was his best yet, tossing 27 touchdowns to just four interceptions. His 70.1% completion percentage was the best in the Mountain West conference and ranks seventh nationally.

Strong threw interceptions in just three games, and had 420 yards and four touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s season opening win over Wyoming.

He would then toss five more touchdowns in Nevada football’s bowl win over Tulane, while racking up 271 yards. Although the stats are impressive, the build and talent he has is even more so.

His last name checks out as his biggest asset, which is the strength of his arm. It also helped with his quick throwing motion, which limited turnovers this past season.

It helps to have one of the best receivers in college football as well, the same luxury that Zach Wilson had a season ago. Although Strong and Wilson are different type of players, Romeo Doubs does have quite a bit of Dax Milne in his game.

A very similar throw that Strong makes is a simple fade route, while making sure it’s on the receiver’s backside shoulder.

Fade routes can be costly as it’s either under thrown and intercepted, or caught up in the air. Strong makes sure neither happens and makes Justin Lockhart look really good.

The next attribute that makes Strong such a compelling prospect is his deep ball accuracy. Strong has the ability to fit some of the toughest throws and make it look effortless.

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Although it is just a small flick of the wrist, he uses the sideline as his friend as he lays the ball in a spot where only the receiver can get it. It’s either an incomplete pass or an incredible pitch and catch, a low risk-high reward throw.

The final key trait that Strong possesses is a unique pocket awareness. Over the course of the past few seasons, some of the smaller quarterbacks have the better pocket awareness, headlined by Wilson, Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield. All of which are below 6’2.

Strong at 6’4 is able to navigate his way out of blind side pressure from the defensive end and make a 45-yard throw, while rolling to his right side.

Strong has an opportunity to win MWC Player of the Year and should be the front runner for multiple awards at the conclusion of the season. Especially with his go-to target in Doubs returning, it makes Strong that much better of a prospect and likely to be a Thursday night pick.

One concern that can be made is the level of competition.

However, Nevada football will have a few Power 5 opponents on the schedule, alongside a road trip to Boise and San Diego in conference.

Nevada starts the year on the road against California. It will then travel on September 18 to Manhattan to play Kansas State. The following week will be the road trip to Boise.

Three of the first four games will be against legitimately good competition. California ranked in the top half of the Pac-12 in defense a year ago, while Kansas State has quality players on that side of the ball in DL Wayne Jones and DB Justin Gardner.

When looking at player comparisons, the one that stands out to me most is a fellow Non-Power-5 quarterback in Carson Wentz. I believe Strong throws the ball better on the run and has a slightly stronger arm.

The 2021 quarterback class will go down as one of the most top heavy, with five being selected in the Top 15. However, the 2022 class does not seem to have the same amount of hype.

However, be on the lookout for Strong to become one of the most enticing prospects in this draft and make headlines in College Football in 2021.