AJ McCarron Proves He's NFL Starter with Combine Throwing Performance

AJ McCarron isn't likely to go in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft, but he will wind up being a starter in the NFL.  

The draft is an unpredictable beast, but I have yet to see a mock that has McCarron coming off the board in the first round. For instance, CBSSports.com features mocks from four experts, and not one of them has McCarron going in the first round. 

But after his performance at the combine, I don't think there's any way he'll last past the second round.

McCarron opted not to participate in the Senior Bowl, which put extra emphasis on his performance at the combine. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan highlighted this fact: 

Plenty of quarterbacks opted not to throw at the combine, and most of the top prospects did not. Of the top four prospects—Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr—only Bortles threw. 

Quarterbacks often decline to throw at the combine because it is not an environment conducive to looking their best. They are throwing to receivers they aren't used to and doing so in an unfamiliar environment. 

While at Alabama, McCarron enjoyed throwing to marvelous receivers while standing behind an excellent offensive line. He was also almost always in the lead. That makes life easy on a quarterback, and it made the fact that he threw 58 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions over the last two seasons less impressive than it otherwise might have been. 

That's why many people rolled their eyes when McCarron opted not to participate in the Senior Bowl. It was fair to think that the decorated signal-caller was afraid of performing without the benefit of playing for Alabama. 

As AL.com's Andrew Gribble reports, McCarron said his absence from the Senior Bowl was part of his preparation for the combine. Either way, it put extra emphasis on his combine performance, and he did well. 

Well, his 40-yard dash left something to be desired, as he turned in an official time of 4.94 seconds, but McCarron put that in perspective: 

McCarron's assertion that his throwing went well appears to be right on the money. NFL Network passed along this little sample: 

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock left the workout impressed. Gribble passed along the following Mayock quote: "He looked today like he was just hanging out in the backyard and throwing it. ... It was easy. He didn't seem like he felt any pressure. The ball comes out nicely. I don't think he's got a huge arm but he's got a good arm, and he's accurate."

Now, all of this leads me to my main assertion that McCarron is capable of being a starter in the NFL. 

One of the knocks on McCarron is his arm strength, and Mayock notes that McCarron doesn't have a "huge arm." A "good arm" certainly suggests he won't have a problem making NFL throws, however—especially considering McCarron has displayed good accuracy, including on deep balls. 

More important than any of that, however, is the fact that Mayock said, "He looked today like he was just hanging out in the backyard and throwing it."

Throwing at the combine is a daunting task, for many of the reasons I outlined above, and McCarron was unfazed. 

And although it's hard to quantify poise and ease in pressure situations, that quality is invaluable in the NFL. Teams want a quarterback who can lead the ship into the eye of a storm and bring it out safely on the other side while helping calm the crew. 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

McCarron proved he had the mentality and fortitude to do that in countless games while at Alabama, and he proved he could do it at the combine while throwing to unfamiliar receivers. 

That will serve him well in the NFL. 

McCarron may not have the tools to be a superstar in the NFL, but his accuracy, his ability to work in a pro-style system and his poise make him viable starting material. 

All combine results courtesy of NFL.com's results tracker.