Quarterback prospects meet the media in…

(Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

For many prospects, particularly at the quarterback position, they face a number of different questions about their game during the draft process. For example, Kenny Pickett faces questions about his hand size, as well as his late development at Pittsburgh.

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, however, really faces one question most of all: His knee injury history. During his podium session Wednesday morning, he addressed it right out of the gate:

Carson Strong talking about his knee, playing this last season and what he showed at the Senior Bowl: pic.twitter.com/zEBTPNrBMx

— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) March 2, 2022

What is fascinating about Strong’s story is the fact that he was advised to sit out last season and give his knee a year to heal, but instead worked with doctors to come up with a six-month plan so he could play one more season in college.

Me and my doctor we put a plan together where we knew I wasn’t going to be quite ready. We knew that I was going to be coming back in half the time I was supposed to. But we put the best plan we possibly could together for that. We knew there was going to be some ups and downs going through the season with it.

Obviously I still managed to throw for over 4,000 yards and have a pretty good season.

There was never a question I was going to play or not. I was going to play no matter what. It was just a matter of dealing with the challenges that came with that.

That willingness to play for his team despite the injury will certainly be viewed in a positive light by NFL teams, but it might have played a role in his recent work as he prepares for the NFL draft. Strong, along with Desmond Ridder and other quarterbacks, is working with quarterback coach Jordan Palmer. They have found that Strong’s injury, and as he recovers from it, has impacted his throwing mechanics.

The number one thing that I take away from him is for me, just keeping my cleats in the ground, driving off my right foot and getting leverage. I developed some compensation issues from the season so I’m learning how to drive off my right leg again, I just have a ton of untapped power that I haven’t been using so moving forward I just have a ton of potential to gain even more strength in my arm.

While the arm strength might draw teams in, Strong’s freedom at the line of scrimmage might keep them there. To hear Strong tell it, he had complete liberty at the line of scrimmage to change plays, and took full advantage:

I think the freedom that my coaches gave me at Nevada, being able to get into whatever play I thought would work at the time. I had no limitations at the line of scrimmage. I could get into any play at any time…If I thought there was going to be a play that would get us a first down, I would get into it…I would audible into runs, screens, quick game, I’ll check the deep ball too. I’ll just take what [the defense] gives me.

That kind of trust from his coaches will play will with NFL coaches, for sure. Provided that knee checks out, a solid throwing session from Strong this week would be a huge boost for his stock.