A.J. McCarron: The Steal of the 2014 NFL Draft April 18, 2014 2:55 pm 
The NFL draft is less than three weeks away. Since the college football season ended (and even before that) we’ve been hearing names such as Clowney, Manziel and Mack: names of players who will likely be selected in the first few picks in May’s NFL draft. Those of you who, like me, are hardcore football fans know that teams are built with players selected on the second and sometimes third day of the draft.Each year there are a few draftees whose stock is affected negatively for various reasons: bad pro day, unimpressive combine numbers or off-field problems. Few college players that have the tools and smarts along with an impressive college resume (at a football powerhouse) fly under the radar. Every NFL draft has a few players that should have been drafted higher than they were. Players like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees come to mind. This year will be no different. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is projected to be a 3rd to 5th round selection falls into this category.I watch a lot of college football and have no affiliation or rooting interest for a specific team or conference. With that being said I am shocked that McCarron isn’t as highly rated as a Blake Bortles or Johnny Manziel. McCarron is a better passer and more consistent then both Bortles and Manziel and his game will translate better to the NFL as well.As a three year starter, McCarron is a proven winner who has progressed as a quarterback throughout his college career. His career completion percentage was almost 70%. McCarron finished with 77 TD’s and 15 INT’s throwing a total of three interceptions 2012 (two in one game). He has faced pressure at a high level and never gets rattled. He reminds me of Eli Manning when under pressure: he never panics, and is always calm. McCarron is also smart. He plays the game like Andrew Luck did at Stanford: consistent and mistake free. He’s not the most athletic player, but his intangibles are his strength. McCarron’s performance in last year’s SEC title game defined his entire career. Even though Alabama lost, he was brilliant finishing the game with three touchdowns (the third being one of his greatest) and zero interceptions.AJ McCarron has the tools to be successful at the next level. At 6’3” he is as tall than Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. His resume is as good as anyone coming out of school. There wasn’t much more he could have done to help make himself or his team better. The so-called “expert opinion” is that McCarron is a product of a good offensive system or a system quarterback. I disagree. Fresno State’s Derrick Carr is a product of an offensive system, not McCarron.There is probably an NFL GM (or two) that feel as I do about AJ McCarron. The team that selects him will have one of the most talented and smartest players for a long time. The steal of the 2014 NFL draft. http://www.footballnation.com/content/aj-mccarron-the-steal-the-2014-nfl-draft/29174/
