Cowboys Continue to Court High-Profile QB Prospect Ahead of Draft

Getty Images Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys are open to drafting a quarterback and TCU standout Max Duggan appears to be one of the favorites within the organization ahead of the NFL Draft.

Cowboys skipper Mike McCarthy was asked about Duggan at the combine on Wednesday and he heaped praise on the Davey O’Brien winner, which is given annually to the best quarterback in college football.

“I just love the way he plays. In the games I saw, you’re never out of the game with Max,” McCarthy said. “I think that’s a huge characteristic as a QB that you have to have in this league. You have to win those games. You see it every year in the playoffs.”

Duggan had an outstanding senior season, although it ended with a bit of a thud. He passed for 3,698 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But his final game wasn’t exactly a draft booster. Duggan was held to 152 yards and threw a pair of interceptions as the Horned Frogs were throttled in the title game 65-7.

Duggan Not Projected to be High Pick

Duggan certainly made a name for himself during his senior year but he’s not projected to be among the top quarterback prospects in the draft. Most projections have him as a late-round pick.

One AFC executive told walterfootball.com that his comp is similar to former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, who was a sixth-round pick of the Colts in 2021.

“Max Duggan is Sam Ehlinger 2.0,” the AFC director of player personnel told the site. “You see inconsistent accuracy and ball placement. He muscles the ball a lot and is not a real natural thrower of the football. But he’s tough and competitive with pretty good instincts and is a good athlete as well. It wouldn’t shock me if he went in the fourth or fifth round. I think the intangibles will push him up some.”

The Cowboys will have multiple picks in the fifth round of this year’s draft, as well as a pick apiece in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Jerry Jones Was Impressed With Duggan at Senior Bowl

McCarthy’s comments on Duggan come after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gushed over the TCU QB at the Senior Bowl.

“He just looked comfortable. He looked confident. And he was really throwing the ball around. He was certainly the most impressive quarterback in my mind,” Jones said, per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports.

Duggan was asked about the comments from Jones during the Davey O’Brien Award presentation and said he would be “incredible” to be selected by the Cowboys.

“It was pretty special, pretty incredible to hear what Mr. Jones had to say about that,” Duggan told NBC 5 Sports Director Newy Scruggs. “It was a pretty remarkable position to be in. I know there’s still a lot of hard work to still be put in. I would be pretty happy. I wouldn’t have to go very far. It would be pretty incredible to be part of that franchise and the history they have.”

Jones said earlier this offseason that he regrets not drafting a quarterback more often. The Cowboys have drafted just two quarterbacks since taking Prescott in 2016 — Ben DiNucci in the seventh round in 2020 and Mike White as a fifth-round pick in 2018.