Nevada’s Carson Strong mocked No. 1 overall in Sports Illustrated mock draft

The preseason draft buzz for Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Carson Strong continues!

Strong was mocked first overall to the Houston Texans in Sports Illustrated’s Jack Borowsky’s latest mock draft. He writes:

The Mountain West has had its fair share of success at the quarterback position recently with Josh Allen and Jordan Love. Strong is next up in the conference and has the most upside out of any 2022 draft-eligible quarterback. He has a fantastic supporting cast at Nevada and is in a perfect offense to put up great numbers. Strong’s deep ball is the best in the class and his overall mechanics are very impressive. His freshman to sophomore season jump showed a quarterback who puts in the work in the offseason. If he takes another step this season, he has the chance to be the clear-cut top quarterback prospect in next year’s draft.

By many accounts, the Texans are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this upcoming season, which officially begins its 17-game schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Depending on how everything unfolds with star signal caller Deshaun Watson, Houston might be looking for a new franchise quarterback next April.

Strong was the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year last year, tossing for 2,858 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Though a lot can happen between now and the upcoming draft — performances in the college season, NFL Combine and individual Pro Days, along with other pre-draft evaluations — Strong could be in-line for a first-round selection next April, assuming the junior declares.

Borowsky’s mock draft hasn’t been Sports Illustrated’s only writer to slot Strong within the top-10 of next year’s draft.

Lorenz Leinweber mocked Strong No. 10 to the Atlanta Falcons in his mock draft on June 21, while Zack Patraw linked Strong to the Falcons as well, this time with the No. 7 pick. Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft (on June 26) has Strong going No. 16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, too.