7 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Carson Strong in 2022

Injury history

The most concerning feature of Carson Strong’s draft profile is his injury history. The prospect had to miss his entire senior year of high school after a knee injury that resulted in surgery that placed eight biodegradable nails into his knee. After his sophomore season at Nevada, the signal-caller had surgery on that same knee to “clean up some cartilage”.

Unfortunately for Strong, this is a very concerning injury history for a 22-year-old. A lot of the early buzz around his draft stock indicates that teams are waiting to see his medicals before they determine where he will fall on their boards.

As if the initial surgery wasn’t appalling enough, the follow-up surgery a few years later has to frighten some teams about the possibility this will remain a hindrance throughout his pro career.

Injury baggage in a young player is always upsetting. If you want to embrace the glass-half-full mindset about Strong, consider that his game isn’t predicated on factors such as mobility and elusiveness.

Strong is the textbook definition of a pocket passer, this was the case even before his injuries. So it might not matter to the Carolina Panthers all that much.

Also, the way Strong has already battled back from the injuries sheds some light on his character and approach. After his initial injury, Nevada was his only Division 1 offer out of high school. Yet he arrived and established himself as the program’s quarterback of the future immediately.

Following his second surgery after his redshirt sophomore season, Strong went on to get even better and have his best season yet as a junior. The California kid has already shown an uncanny ability to bounce back from his injuries and refuse to let them define him. This mindset could be a welcomed addition to Carolina’s quarterback room, which desperately needs someone to come in and take the job with decisiveness.