Nevada QB Carson Strong Declares for NFL Draft, Will Skip Bowl Game

The Wolf Pack QB could be a sleeper first-round prospect as he enters draft preparation.

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong is set to move on from the program, and will enter the NFL draft after four seasons, he announced on Tuesday night.

“As much as I would like to play one more season or even one more game in my Nevada uniform, after a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided that it is best for me to BEGIN MY PREPARATION FOR THE 2022 NFL DRAFT,” Strong wrote. “It is my hope over these next few months that there is at least one NFL team that believes in me the same way that Coach Novell, Coach Mumme, and the entire Nevada coaching staff did back in 2018.

With the decision, Strong will miss the team's trip to Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl. Nevada (8–4) is set to face Western Michigan (7–5). It will be the team's fourth straight bowl game, the third at the end of seasons in which Strong started at quarterback. The team is coming off of back-to-back trips to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, losing to Ohio in '19, and beating Tulane in '20.

Thank you Nevada! The best has yet to come pic.twitter.com/wiU2ReF5te

— Carson Strong (@CarsonStrong_) December 15, 2021

Strong was one of college football's most prolific passers in 2021. He completed 70% of his throws for the second straight season, tossing for a career-high 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was the sixth-leading passer in the country this season.

Strong leaves Nevada with 9,379 passing yards, 74 touchdowns and 19 interceptions through three seasons, after redshirting in 2018.

While he isn't generally regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the '22 NFL draft class, there have been some indications that he could pick up steam during the process. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo tweeted as much on Wednesday morning in response to the Strong news.

Last night, #Nevada QB Carson Strong set his sights toward the NFL Draft. Not currently seeing many mocks that have him in the first round but I’ve heard some chatter teams are higher on him than those on the outside. So he could be the proverbial climber. Medicals will be big. https://t.co/IHDY6WyixI

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 15, 2021

The 2022 NFL draft is set to take place in the Las Vegas area from April 28–30.