Nevada quarterback Carson Strong began receiving NFL draft buzz almost as soon as he became the first underclassman to win the Mountain West’s offensive player of the year award last year.
Heading into his junior season at Nevada, he was consistently mentioned as a first-round or second-round pick in the numerous mock drafts found wherever sports are discussed on the internet. The speculation recently reached a high point, though, when Strong was named as the first pick of the 2022 NFL draft — not in the first few picks, but the actual top pick — by CBS Sports, one of the world’s leading sports broadcasters.