Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall Knocking On First-Round Door

Every conversation about Grayson McCall circles around the record he broke last season.

The Coastal Carolina passer became the most efficient quarterback (QB) in the history of college football since 1956 in 2021.

McCall’s passer efficiency rating last season was 207.65. That topped QB’s Mac Jones (203.2), Joe Burrow (202.0), Tua Tagovailoa (199.4), Kyler Murray (199.2), Baker Mayfield (198.9), Zach Wilson (196.4), Robert Griffin III (189.5), Jameis Winston (184.8) and Cam Newton (182.0).

All of those QB’s listed next to McCall’s name were former first-round draft picks.

To put that number into further perspective, Ohio State’s QB C.J. Stroud turned in a passer rating of 186.6 last season. Stroud is regarded by many, including First Round Mock, as being QB1 in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Level of Competition

Before we get too carried away with McCall’s accomplishment, we need to keep one thing in perspective.

We need to consider the level of competition McCall played against.

Not taking anything away from those schools (or those who play there), but when it specifically comes to NFL scouting, the level of competition must be taken into consideration.

McCall’s accomplishment is still awesome, but it must be kept in perspective because he probably threw against less talented secondaries than some of the other prospects.

McCall looks like an ideal NFL career backup

When I first turned on the game film with McCall, he reminded me of Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert.

While I’m not going as far as to say McCall is the next Herbert, I do say he looks like an ideal No. 2 QB in the NFL.

Joe Gibbs, who was the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins during my childhood said the second-most important position on a team is the backup QB. I agree with what Gibbs said. Every team is one hit away from the season being in the hands of the backup. Looking at depth charts around the NFL, some teams seem to realize that, while many do not.

I need to see more from McCall’s deep game, and I had a few other concerns I will get to on him as well.

While I am not seeing McCall as a franchise-type QB, I don’t see him buried on the depth chart as a No. 3 or on a practice squad either.

He is more of a tweener who can get a team through a rough patch, and I would expect him to tear apart the vanilla defenses we see from NFL teams in the pre-season.

McCall would be ideal for a team like Jacksonville to put behind starter Trevor Lawrence due to the fact current backup C.J. Beathard is scheduled to become a free agent this coming off-season.

#10 Grayson McCall 6-foot-3, 215 pounds

Daniel Kelly Grade: Second-Round – Early Fall 2022 Report

FIRST ROUND MOCK BIG BOARD: QB5

Projected by 7.9% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of September 2, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Kansas, Northern Illinois and Appalachian State (click to watch games viewed to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: Mid-range

2021 stats: 176/241 (73.0%) 2,873 yards (11.9 avg.), 27 TD, 3 INT.

NFL Comparable: Chase Daniel

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Tough and mobile QB with a strong arm. Has an option look and his mechanics are somewhat robotic. Phenomenal ball-handling skills. Pressure in his face bothers him, but he is scrappy and can run some. Fairly downfield-minded. Inconsistent quick release. Showed good ball placement in the short to the intermediate range and has a good arm to fit it into tighter throwing windows until he got to the red zone. Accuracy in the red zone went downhill. Works the perimeters of the field well. Nice bubble screens and slants. Puts receivers in a good position to pick up additional yardage after the catch. Avoids dangerous passes, but does take sacks (2021: 16). There are communication concerns that showed up four times in these games with backs and receivers. Be careful not to over-value.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. Has he developed a consistent faster release?
2. How does his deep game look?
3. Has he shown improvement in the red zone?
4. Are communication breakdowns apparent?

There is a lot to like about McCall, but he needs to show noticeable improvements in these four areas to enter through the threshold of the first-round.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.