2014 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide

Apr 20, 2013; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide White Team quarterback AJ McCarron (10) drops back to pass against the Red Team during the annual A-Day game at Bryant Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 214 pounds

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash:

Bench Press:

Vertical Jump:

Broad Jump:

Scouting Report/Player Notes

2013 Pre-season notes

McCarron had an unbelievable junior campaign in 2012 on his way to leading the Crimson Tide to another National Title. He finished with just under 3,000 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. My biggest concern with McCarron? His performance in some of the Tide’s biggest games last season. It’s hard to knock a guy who plays on such a dominant team, but there is no question about it, his production dipped when Alabama played teams like Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, and Georgia. Then, he came out and played the game of his life against Notre Dame in the National Championship game.

It’s tough to get a read on McCarron, but this is what I know for sure: The guy has the mental toughness to be a good NFL quarterback. He has a strong arm and is capable of making every throw. He throws a lot of quick passes at Alabama, and he’s very efficient with the football. He doesn’t make bad decisions often, and I think that will translate well to the NFL. Not afraid to take risks or take big shots down the field, and has a great competitive drive. I think looking at the Senior quarterback class of 2014, McCarron is a guy who stands out on one of the most talented teams we’ve seen in decades of college football. He is the team’s leader, and he backs that up on the field with his arm. Based on what we saw this past year, I would venture to say McCarron is a first round prospect who could cement that status with another good year.

The biggest thing with this guy is, he is a proven winner at the college level and he has the arm talent to play in the NFL. That’s a good combo to have but he will need to “prove it” with his performance in 2013.

2012 Notes

McCarron has been a leader on an Alabama team that is one of the best teams in the entire country. He has pretty much everything that you look for in a quarterback prospect in terms of measurables, coming from a pro-style offense, intangibles, etc. Alabama is certainly not a pass happy offense by any means, but McCarron has proven in just a short amount of time that he is capable of making any kind of throw. He has a strong arm and a quick release, and while his numbers aren’t staggering, he has some really good experience and a national championship as a starting quarterback, a game in which he was an offensive MVP over Heisman finalist Trent Richardson.

He really got better as last season progressed, which is encouraging. He is only a junior in 2012, so he could still potentially have two years of college left. Doesn’t lock in on specific receivers, and does a good job of distributing to the plethora of talent on Alabama’s roster. He is going to have a great offensive line once again this year and should be very productive. As a young quarterback, efficiency and minimizing mistakes was the name of his game. He will always have great running backs behind him, but he can grow as a passer and I think that Alabama will let him loose a bit as a junior, which could cause his overall efficiency to take a slight dip.

Career Highlights

• AP third team All-American
• Second team All-SEC
• Finalist for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
• 24-2 (.923) as a starter at Alabama
• Leads nation (173.08) in passing efficiency
• Alabama record 26 passing touchdowns in 2012
• Went 291 pass attempts (2011-12) without throwing an interception (second-longest streak in SEC history)

2012 (JUNIOR): Veteran signalcaller who leads nation with 173.08 passer efficiency rating … one of five finalists for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award … semifinalist for Davey O’Brien and Maxwell awards … AP third team All-American … consensus second team All-SEC … has a school-record 26 touchdown passes in 2012 … went 291 pass attempts between interceptions (2011-12), second-longest streak in SEC history … 24-2 as the Alabama starter (tied for fifth-most wins in school history and second in win percentage at .923) … boasts career average of one interception every 82.8 pass attempts and one pick every 95.3 passes in 2012 (both on pace to be SEC records) … has completed 66.8 percent of his passes (191-of-286) during junior season for 2,669 yards (42 completions of 20-plus) … has seven multi-TD pass games in 2012 … completed 68.0 percent of his passes in SEC play (15 TDs and 1,748 yards).

Stats

Video Highlights (via YouTube)