NFL QB Coach: Max Duggan Throwing at NFL Combine Was 'Biggest Turnoff to Me'

Was Max Duggan's stellar senior season at Texas Christian University enough to overcome concerns over his throwing accuracy?

During his 2022 campaign, the Heisman Trophy runner-up threw for 32 touchdowns and added another nine on the ground—but his 63.7 completion percentage ranked just 46th in the FBS.

That accuracy and arm talent remained a concern at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in March, scouts told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

"The biggest turnoff to me was being on the field (at the NFL Scouting Combine) watching [him] throw," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "Just seeing it come off his hand in that setting—that was going to be really hard to overcome in my evaluation."

The Horned Frogs quarterback completed 267 of 419 passes for 3,698 yards in 2022. Although scouting reports noted his problem with underthrowing, Duggan was able to connect with receivers in several notable high-pressure situations, including during come-from-behind double-overtime wins and while forcing overtime in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Duggan recovered from heart surgery before his sophomore season and played half of his junior season with a broken foot. He began 2022 as a backup, and when called up due to injury, turned the opportunity into one of the best quarterback seasons in TCU history.

That tenacity helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship—and is enough to make scouts consider him as an option in the upcoming draft.

"He can turn it on in the game," an NFC quarterbacks coach told Pelissero. "I don't know if he'll complete a pass in a seven-on-seven drill in practice. [But] the kid's been a winner. He found a way. He got benched a couple times in college and ended up sitting there to see if his name is called for the Heisman. You can't discredit that."

Mock projections usually put Duggan on the fringe of being selected in the 2023 draft. He worked out for the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.