NFL Draft Profile: Max Duggan, Quarterback, TCU Horned Frogs
Max Duggan
TCU Horned Frogs
#15
Pos: QB
Ht: 6015
Wt: 207
Hand: 0978
Arm: 3038
Wing: 7368
40: 4.52
DOB: 3/12/2001
Hometown: Council Bluffs, IA
High School: Lewis Central
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
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.
Evaluation:
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 the 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 a better awareness of backside pressure and speed up his post-snap processing.
Grade:
UDFA
Background:
Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He attended Lewis Central High School and was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports. Attended Texas Christian University. As a freshman, he played in all twelve games, totaling 2077 passing yards and throwing for fifteen touchdowns, which were both records set by a true freshman in TCU history. During his sophomore season, he played in ten games, totaling 1795 passing yards, throwing for ten touchdowns, and rushing for ten touchdowns. As a junior, started in ten games, totaling 2048 passing yards, and throwing for sixteen touchdowns. He had an outstanding senior year, totaling 3321 passing yards and throwing thirty touchdowns. Named to 2022 AP First-Team All-Big 12, named the AP Offensive Player of the Year, won the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given to the best quarterback in the country, and was a Heisman Trophy Finalist. He declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
