Max Duggan, QB TCU: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Duggan was a four-star recruit from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa in the class of 2019

TCU quarterback Max Duggan entered the 2022 college football season as an afterthought in draft circles, but his All-Big 12 performance turned some heads this year. Duggan is an interesting evaluation when examining his placement in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Max Duggan, QB TCU: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior quarterback from Council Bluffs, Iowa

Background: Duggan was a four-star recruit from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa in the class of 2019. He was the No. 229 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 207 for On3.com. Duggan was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. Duggan was the 2018-19 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior. That season, he completed 123 of 186 pass attempts for 2,130 yards, 24 touchdowns, and three interceptions on his way to an 11-1 record and the Class 3A semifinals. Duggan also rushed for 1,223 yards and 25 touchdowns on 113 carries. He was a First-Team All-State selection. During his high school career, Duggan amassed 5,918 yards and 59 touchdowns through the air, along with 2,725 yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He was the Most Valuable Player at the Canton (Ohio) Elite 11 Camp. He committed to TCU over Arizona State, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and other Power Five programs.

2021 Production: 10 games, 227 attempts, 145 completions, 2,048 yards, 16 touchdowns, 6 interceptions + 105 carries, 352 yards, 3 touchdowns

2020 Production: 9 games, 240 attempts, 146 completions, 1,795 yards, 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions + 116 carries, 526 yards, 10 touchdowns

2019 Production: 12 games, 339 attempts, 181 completions, 2,077 yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions + 130 carries, 555 yards, 6 touchdowns

Injuries & Off-Field: Required surgery for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (heart condition) in 2020, played with a broken bone and torn tendon in a foot in 2021, battled through a calf injury and other nicks and bruises in 2022

Awards: 2019 Honorable-Mention Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, 2019-20 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, 2020 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2021 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2022 First-Team All-Big 12, 2022 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, 2nd in 2022 Heisman Voting

Pros: Quick and compact whip-like throwing motion, varies release angles, only two fumbles in 2022 regular season, mobility to counter blitzes, extend plays, and create off platform, mobility and speed to punish defenses for leaving him alone, potential for QB-designed runs, strength to survive arm and shoulder tackles, finishes runs through contact, comfortable throwing on the run and off platform, pass comes out with good velocity on short throws, ideal touch and air on deep throws, arm strength to hit throws roughly 55 yards downfield, feet remain active in the pocket but aren’t toesy, delivers throws in the face of pressure, several instances of manipulating the defense with his eyes, leads by example

Cons: Extended time to throw, penalized four times in 2022, history of fumbles in 2019 and 2020, lacks high-end speed, stats padded by a healthy dose of schemed-up short passes, needs to protect himself more as a runner, ball placement is poor and lacks consistency, doesn’t show ideal velocity on intermediate and deep throws outside the numbers, frequently delivers low on short passes, examples of throwing flat-footed or off his back foot, throwing motion doesn’t maximize his kinetic potential because of a passive lower body, stares down targets, accuracy waivers on intermediate throws, sometimes gets stuck on a read, double clutching and patting the ball slows his delivery (indecisive), awareness of backside pressure needs to improve, post-snap processing needs to speed up, lower body mechanics, lack elite arm strength

Overview: Duggan is unofficially listed at 6'2", 210 lbs. The Iowa native has a quick and compact whip-like throwing motion. He varies release angles and creates off platform. Duggan’s mobility lets him counter blitzes, extend plays, and create off platform. He’s fast enough to punish defenses for leaving him alone in space and has the strength to survive arm and shoulder tackles. Duggan lacks elite size and strength, but he finishes runs through contact and consistently battles for extra yards. Surprisingly, he only fumbled twice during the 2022 regular season. The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is comfortable throwing on the run and off platform. His passes come out with great velocity on short throws, and he puts ideal touch on deep shots. Duggan’s arm is strong enough to deliver on throws roughly 55 yards downfield. His feet remain active in the pocket throughout the play but aren’t toesy. Duggan delivers throws in the face of pressure and leads by example with his toughness. There are several instances of the former four-star recruit manipulating defenses with his eyes, and he needs to utilize this element of his game more often. However, Duggan has an extended time to throw that he needs to trim down to play in the NFL. His ability to extend plays with his legs sometimes drives up his time to throw, but he’s not athletic enough to void the pocket and create off platform in the NFL with the same frequency that he did at TCU. While fumbles weren’t a recent issue for Duggan, he put the ball on the ground seven times in 2019 and 2020. He lacks high-end speed to create as a runner, and he needs to do a better job protecting himself at the end of plays. The greatest concerns with Duggan are his erratic ball placement and velocity. The All-Big 12 quarterback doesn’t show ideal velocity on intermediate and deep throws outside the numbers. He struggles to place the football in small windows and frequently forces his receivers to make adjustments that disrupt their ability to produce yards after the catch. Duggan’s accuracy is also an issue. He delivers low on short passes and underthrows some deep shots. There are examples of him throwing flat-footed or off his back foot. Duggan’s throwing motion doesn’t maximize his kinetic potential because of his passive lower body. His lower body mechanics lack refinement. The senior quarterback occasionally stares down targets or gets stuck on a read. He double clutches and pats the ball on many plays, which hints at indecisiveness and slows down his delivery. Duggan must develop better awareness of backside pressure and speed up his post-snap processing.

Overall, Duggan is a gutsy quarterback with the mobility to gash defenses and the arm strength to take advantage of vertical opportunities, but he lacks the accuracy, ball placement, footwork, and other basic intangibles necessary to be an impact NFL player. That doesn’t mean the path to the NFL is closed for Duggan. He’ll have the opportunity to compete on a practice squad and make an NFL roster.

Role & Scheme Fit: Mobile passer in a spread offensive scheme

Round Projection: UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-28-22