Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) scores a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers won 43-38. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron received plenty of flak for not participating in the Senior Bowl, and there’s a chance a better quarterback prospect in Fresno State product Derek Carr could receive criticism for opting out of throwing at the Combine. He told 95.7’s The Wheelhouse that he isn’t sure if he will throw at the Combine, and this uncertainty is worth noting since his older brother David did not throw at the Combine. Times were different back then, and Carr was the consensus top QB at the draft at the time. Derek is definitely worth a first-round pick and should find himself off the board in the top ten, but following in his brother’s footsteps by not throwing in the Combine will raise some eyebrows.
Derek’s older brother has certainly helped him out plenty in his career, but I couldn’t see the point in bypassing throwing workouts at the Combine. I mean, Carr clearly has the most pure arm talent and arm strength of any quarterback in this class, so those workouts should help showcase his skills. We’ll see what Carr chooses, but I hope we get to see him toss some dimes.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the most difficult team to break down when it comes to analyzing potential draft-day scenarios, because there’s a chance the Jaguars pass up on selecting a quarterback with the third pick in the draft. They are in a great position to take Teddy Bridgewater- or which ever QBs the Houston Texans pass up on or a team that trades up to No. 2 doesn’t take- with the third pick in the draft. But I have a feeling that if the Jaguars don’t see any QBs they like on the board, then they will be willing to pass up on one this year instead of setting their franchise back on a QB who isn’t worth it.
GM David Caldwell is one of the most prudent in the NFL, but the Jaguars also need a QB badly. Chad Henne is a nice backup, but he’s nothing more than a backup at this point. Blaine Gabbert? Yeah, he’s not an option, and Matt Scott is a deep project player at this point. Are the Jags smokescreening us? Who is their top five? Would they really pass up on a QB in the first?
Those are all great questions, and Sports on Earth’s Russ Lande did an excellent job of breaking them down in this piece. A former scout and one of the best and most well-connected draft analysts around, Lande has been doing a feature where he breaks down each team’s draft-day prospects in detail. Yesterday’s focus was on the Jaguars, and he brought up one of my favorite draft prospects at the position as a potential second day pick for the Jaguars.
I really like former Georgia Bulldogs star QB Aaron Murray as a second-round pick for a team that wants to go for a second-tier QB, because he was productive in an incredibly tough conference, has sneaky mobility, has very good accuracy, and has more arm strength and poise than the overrated McCarron. Per Lande, Murray could be an option for the Jaguars in the second or third round if they choose to pass up on first-round QBs, and I think this is something worth watching for in the coming months.