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All of Buffalo Rumblings' 2015 NFL Draft coverage can be found in our NFL Draft section. These scouting reports are part of our 2015 NFL Draft big board, which is also available under the "Library" header on our site's navigation bar.
Shane Carden
- Position: Quarterback (QB)
- Class: Senior
- College: East Carolina
- Ht/Wt: 6'2", 218 pounds
Scouting Report
Shane Carden has a decent build for a quarterback, and a good enough arm to boot. In his case, however, something else gets in the way. The word I keep using to describe Carden is "messy." His throwing motion is elongated, with a pretty big windup. He often fails to set his feet when throwing, which leads to passes that sail short or wide of where they should be. Carden loves to challenge defenses by throwing deep passes and fade routes, but he doesn't have the touch for either. He doesn't have a good feel pre-snap for what the defense will do.
One positive you can say about Carden is that he isn't afraid to attack a defense all around the field. He's happy to take chances with passes, but he can't effectively anticipate receivers coming open. He doesn't have a feel for the pass rush, and is sometimes completely oblivious to blind-side defenders. Carden has some mobility and can place the ball into a tight window when his feet are set. With his build, arm, and attitude, you might think he could be a project quarterback, but I can't get into his corner with the long list of inconsistencies and problems I see on tape.
Grade
As a project quarterback who tends to spray passes around the field, I have a lot of doubts about Carden being able to see the field. Quarterback is the toughest position to adjust to in the NFL, and in my mind if a quarterback isn't good enough to invest a day one or two pick in, then he shouldn't be picked at all until the end of the draft, because the chances of a player picked in Round 4 or later ever developing into a starter are incredibly close to zero. Carden is in my third tier of quarterbacks in this weak draft, the quarterbacks who I consider "barely draftable." He gets a seventh-round grade from me. He definitely doesn't seem to be the solution to Buffalo's quarterback woes.