Just under one year after trading a first and a third-round draft pick for quarterback Carson Wentz, the Indianapolis Colts find themselves with more questions than answers under center moving forward.
One of those answers could come in the 2022 NFL Draft if the board breaks the way The Athletic's Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft expert, predicts in his latest two-round mock draft.
Brugler has the Colts selecting Nevada senior quarterback Carson Strong at No. 47 overall, using the Colts' first selection of the 2022 NFL Draft on the most important position in football.
Strong, who stands 6-foot-4 and weights 215 pounds, had a terrific final season in Reno with the Wolfpack in the Air Raid offense. The strong-armed quarterback completed more than 70% of his passes (367 for 523) for 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading Nevada to a 8-5 season.
In terms of production and overall film and traits, Strong is a first-round quarterback. He has terrific pocket presence, great poise and overall awareness, and can make all of the throws required in an NFL quarterback.
The only real concern with Strong — aside from coming from the Air Raid, which can lead to a rather rough transition to the pro game — is the health of his knees.
Strong has had a number of knee issues throughout his career at Nevada and has a few medical red flags regarding his surgically repaired knee. As of now, that's the thing that will scare some teams off, at least until he's checked out medically at the NFL Combine in March at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Though Brugler didn't give any thoughts on his second round picks in his mock draft, Strong was the sixth quarterback off the board in the exercise, which feels about right for the Nevada star at this point in the draft process.
That could all change with a clean medical check at the combine. For now though, it's fun to consider what the Colts could do in late April at the quarterback position, assuming they spend significant time studying the quarterback class once again this offseason.
Have thoughts on Dane Brugler slotting Carson Strong to the Indianapolis Colts in his two-round mock draft? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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