Detroit Lions 3-Round 2022 Mock Draft: Conference Championship Week

Second Round

Strong is lauded for having perhaps the strongest arm in this draft class of quarterbacks. In his final season at Nevada he completed 70 percent of his passes for 4,186 yards with 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is widely being projected as a first-round pick, but concerns over a lingering knee issue will have him under close scrutiny started at next week’s Senior Bowl (he’ll be on the opposite roster, but the Lions coaching staff will be down in Mobile).

ESPN’s Todd McShay talked about how important Senior Bowl week will be for Strong.

"I’m really interested to see what Carson Strong does, coming out of Nevada,” McShay said on the First Draft podcast. “I mean, all of a sudden, you’re thrust into this Mobile situation where you come in — you’ve got general managers, scouts, head coaches from the league watching you, your every move in practice. How does he handle this moment?” McShay said. “I know what I see on tape from him. I see a guy who’s 6-4-plus, 215-plus pounds. He can move pretty well for his size. He has a rifle for an arm. Can make all the throws down the field you want. But he struggled under pressure at times, and that’s the area that — how do you improve upon that a week at the Senior Bowl? How do you show that you can get better at this area? Part of it is mental, just understanding where the pressure’s coming from, knowing what the defense is trying to do."

Strong fell into the early second round here in this mock, as the top-rated overall prospect available at this spot. In my turn as fake GM, the Lions end his fall and secure their potential quarterback of the future.