7 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Carson Strong in 2022
By Brian Emory
Elite arm strength
This was alluded to earlier, but Carson Strong has rare arm talent. Scouts and coaches alike drool over quarterbacks with this trait. This is a prime reason why players like Josh Allen and Justin Herbert were thought of so highly when entering the league, even though both had concerning blips on their collegiate film.
Strong likely won’t be selected as high as those players because he doesn’t offer the same degree of athleticism, but there is still a lot of value in investing in a quarterback with freaky arm talent. When you have a guy in place that theoretically can make all the throws, it unlocks so many possibilities with your offensive schematics.
If you go back and watch some of Strong’s performances at Nevada, you will see plenty of examples of him effortlessly launching the ball downfield on a rope. Gaudy arm strength is about more than just launching the ball down the field, however.
One of the most noticeable improvements in Strong’s game from his junior to his senior year was his ability to throw his receivers open.
When a signal-caller throws a receiver open, he is placing the ball in a spot where only his wideout can make a play on the ball despite being well covered. Essentially, the quarterback is finding a throwing window that wasn’t even there.
On #Nevada QB Carson Strong’s final drive against Fresno State, he made some incredible tight window throws. This one in particular on a seam route between the nickel, linebacker dropping 20+ yards and over the top safety is placed in the only spot possible.
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) January 6, 2022
Unreal placement. pic.twitter.com/irFKuwATWo
Matt Rhule has continuously complained about the Carolina Panthers’ inability to create explosive plays. From the head coach’s perspective, the offense has been hindered by poor quarterbacking ever since he inherited the team – problems the former Baylor man’s brought on himself.
In 2020 Teddy Bridgewater’s conservative approach to the position made it difficult to push the ball down the field, while the 2021 unit has been plagued by offensive line woes, accuracy issues, and turnover-prone production. If Rhule is serious about generating more explosive plays in the near future, Strong’s arm is the biggest asset that any quarterback in this upcoming draft provides.