Grayson McCall Draft Profile | Coastal Carolina, QB Scouting Report

Can Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall — one of college football’s most efficient passers over the past three seasons — leverage his 2024 NFL Draft scouting report into a selection next April? Here’s an in-depth look at how McCall’s skill set translates to the professional game.

Grayson McCall Draft Profile and Measurements

• Height: 6’3″
• Weight: 220 pounds
• Position: Quarterback
• School: Coastal Carolina
• Current Year: Redshirt Senior

McCall has been the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers‘ starting quarterback since the 2020 season. Over that span, the Chanticleers have gone 31-7 overall and 22-4 in Sun Belt play. They’ve earned two Sun Belt Championship berths, and they’ve grown to become one of the Group of Five’s most consistent producers.

Over this stretch, McCall has distinguished himself as a primary force for the team’s success. From 2020 to 2022, he completed 555 of 788 attempts (70.4%) for 8,061 yards, 77 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. He’s also carried the ball 295 times for 1,054 yards and 17 scores.

McCall is one of college football’s most productive and most efficient quarterbacks. But soon, he’ll be put under the microscope lens as a 2024 NFL Draft prospect. How does he hold up against that advanced scrutiny, and could he have an NFL future?

Grayson McCall Scouting Report

Strengths

• Has a lean, prototypical frame and is a fleet-footed, flexible athlete with good burst.
• Has the change of direction to create off-script and the speed to extend plays outside.
• Can use his brisk athleticism to shuffle out of reach from pressure threats and evade.
• Has shown he can detect outside pressure threats and navigate through interior lanes.
• Can stay disciplined with his depth at the top of his drop and avoid creating chaos.
• Sports a tight, compact, and efficient release, which helps keep the offense on schedule.
• Incredibly efficient passer across a multi-year starting career at the collegiate level.
• Flashes good progression work and can work left to right while managing space.
• Has shown he can react quickly to hitches and comebacks on schemed quick targets.
• Can keep his eyes up on the scramble drill and identify WRs breaking open late.
• Has the awareness to quickly dish the ball to his checkdown in adverse situations.
• Able to properly sequence his lower-body mechanics to sustain torque and accuracy.
• When in rhythm, can consistently hit targets with accuracy in the short range.
• Able to place boundary passes with outside-shoulder precision, mitigating threats.
• Reliable decision maker on option plays who can bait defenders with his running ability.

Weaknesses

• Arm strength is poor, failing to drive velocity consistently at any range.
• Doesn’t have the elasticity to maintain velocity while manipulating loft and trajectory.
• Isn’t an elite athlete or creator and experiences lapses in vision as a ball carrier.
• Sometimes sinks too much on his first hitch, tugging his front shoulder up.
• Jerks in phase movement can contribute to shoulder misalignment and inaccuracy.
• Occasionally exhibits a heel click on release, locking his hips and inhibiting torque.
• At times, throws behind his targets after resetting base for sequential progressions.
• Can more consistently roll his base through throws to maximize hip rotation.
• Pressure threats can force him to pull his release overhead, detracting from pace.
• Isn’t always comfortable releasing in tight pockets, displaying a need for improved poise.
• Sometimes misses targets over the middle when stepping up in the pocket.
• Needs to be a hair quicker anticipating short routes to compensate for lacking velocity.
• Fairly reliant on schemed targets and rhythm throws and needs schematic insulation.

Current Draft Projection and Summary

Heading into the 2023 season, McCall grades as an undrafted free agent QB prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. More development in the operational realm could lift him into priority free agent territory, but McCall’s dire lack of arm strength makes his projection relatively difficult to improve.

In the intangible department, McCall does have his redeeming qualities. He’s a good athlete and a good creator who can provide rushing and off-script value for an offense.

He’s a fairly sound decision-maker both in the pocket and in out-of-structure situations. And he’s a reliably accurate passer who can operate the quick game and play in rhythm.

Unfortunately for McCall, some of the previously mentioned strengths also hint at limitations in his game. His arm strength is poor. He simply can’t drive velocity to the intermediate and deep ranges, and his lack of arm strength narrows his margin for error and reaction delay on short throws.

As such, he needs a degree of schematic insulation to mitigate that — something he’s had at his disposal with the Chanticleers.

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McCall’s lacking arm strength also impacts him on the mechanical side. He sometimes needs to force throws farther down the field, and that forcing motion can invite mechanical volatility. At the NFL level, where windows are smaller and close quicker, McCall’s lack of composite arm talent might not be translatable.

As a UDFA, McCall is worth a 90-man roster spot with his creation capacity, accuracy, awareness, and ability to work the quick game. And as he continues to chip away at minute details in operational areas like pocket navigation and progression work, he could stick as a QB3 or an eventual backup. That may ultimately be where McCall’s projection maxes out.