AJ McCarron
 

Coming off a great Junior Season and a stellar performance in the National Championship game, Where he helped gut that vaunted Notre Dame Defense, AJ McCarron needs to declare for the draft. In this weak of a QB draft and with his momentum not to mention his above average tools as a passer who should test well at the combine he needs to declare as he would have a very good chance to be the 1st QB selected.

No No No No No No No No No! He should stay and play next season with the two super freshmen Cooper and Yeldon.

It's hard to imagine his stock getting any higher than it is right now. Back to Back National Championships, throwing 4 TD passes against the #1 team in the nation. 6'4, 210, solid arm. If he impresses during the Combine interviews and Pro-Days, he could easily be a top 10 pick this year.

He's not a top 10 talent. He's nothing more than a game manager in the NFL.

I don't know if in a strong QB year if he is a 1st round QB, but he has good footwork and pocket presence an above average arm that can make all the throws, he handles pressure well and has solid mobility. Can't say if he is a game manager or a franchise QB yet as he has never been asked to carry the load but he does his job and he does it very well. Next year will be a stronger QB year by far than this one he has more opportunity to fall to the late 2nd or 3rd round next year than he does this year where his stock is as high as it will ever get in a very weak draft.

AJ McCarron looks like a more mobile Kerry Collins I like him as a prospect a lot.

I like McCarron but Collins had a huge arm - McArron's arm is pretty good but not what Collins had in his prime.

You do have quite the imagination.

I would agree with that but they have a similar demeanor, size, and frame with a very similar game but I would agree Collins has a much bigger arm, from what I can tell at least but McCarron's arm is big enough to make all the throws.

It's too bad AJ won't get drafted before the 2nd though even the 3rd probably. Depends on when he declares.

McCarron's arm is on the low end for an NFL QB. He's not quite the kind of guy you see get drafted on the first day.

People, you have to remember that at least 4 of his OLmen are possible 1st rounders and the other is no worse than a 2/3 rounder. He has all day to throw the ball on every play and their running attack is so good that teams have to respect it or get demolished. Throw in a 1st round talent at WR and a high pick at TE and it is easy to see why you have to take his production with a grain of salt.
NFL scouts aren't commenting on his pro potential because he's returning to school so it is very hard to get a read on his ceiling. I doubt he is much more that a mid round pick.

By that logic Sam Bradford wouldn't have had a 1st round grade because he was surrounded by a great Oklahoma team, same with Matt Stafford at Georgia and Mark Sanchez at USC and yet all 3 were top 5 picks two of which #1 overall who have yet to live up to their draft status. With the exception of Stafford McCarron has more pure ability than both Bradford and Sanchez.

but he is returning to school so I guess it is a mute point for another year unfortunately

He has no pro potential. Saban qb are game managers.

McElroy got some PT for the Jets this year...so there is always a chance.

They all had pro arms while we don't yet know how much of an arm McCarron has. If the scouts say his arm is good enough then his stock will rise, if his arm is below average, he's a mid to late rounder. His production is what cannot be judged, 4 1st rounders and a 2/3 rounder on a college OL is rare and only Sanchez had that kind of ability in front of him in college which may explain his disappointment as a pro.

Everyone who follows Alabama football has said McCarron has the best arm of any QB during the Saban era. That tells me his arm is probably no worse than average by NFL standards.

Physically I think Sam Bradford is a good comparison for McCarron.

Before it's over, I think McCarron plays himself into a 1st round QB in 2014.

McCarron doesn't necessarily have a cannon for an arm, but there are some pretty great quarterbacks in the NFL that don't have one either. What he does have is great touch on his deep passes, which he exhibited in big games when he put 40-yard passes downfield in the exact spot they needed to be over and over.

I think McCarron can make all of the throws, and displays excellent touch. Other teams put it on him to make the big throws, and he made them. He also knows his stuff in the film room, has good command of the team, the offense and the huddle. I think his arm strength is on par with Tony Romo or Eli Manning.
I'm not sure how well he will create space for himself in the pocket. His offensive line could be top 10 in the NFL, so we haven't seen him respond to pressure, or use his feet to get away from pass rushers and make a throw, or throw on the run. I'm not saying this is a weakness, I think it's just an unknown. I think he can play in the NFL.