Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr looks like a future first-round pick and NFL starter, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the Bill Belichick Tar Heels’ defense. Carr was very good against North Carolina and gave pro evaluators another piece of tape showing that he is a potential franchise quarterback.
With a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Faison, Carr showed his accuracy and intelligence downfield. He looked out of safety and moved his eyes to him, and then lofted a perfect strike, led Faison open in the middle of the end zone for the score. Carr’s next throw was also a touchdown. After the Tar Heels interception. Carr had the ball perfectly placed in the front corner of the end zone, and Jadan Greathouse made a leaping grab for a touchdown. To open the second quarter, Carr threw his third touchdown pass. Faison was wide open in busted coverage, and Carr led Faison a bit, but the talented receiver made a spectacular diving catch for a 39-yard touchdown.
The Fighting Irish defense and special teams allowed the Tar Heels to get back into the game. Midway through the third quarter on a fourth-and-goal, Carr drew North Carolina offsides on a difficult count, and when the play broke, Carr rolled before running up the field and diving into the end zone for a big touchdown. On the next possession, Carr made a good read with a short touchdown pass to Nolan James Jr. Carr finished completing 21-of-29 passes for 234 yards with four touchdown passes and one rushing.
For the NFL, there is no doubt that Carr has the talent to be a starting quarterback. Carr is an accurate pocket passer with excellent field vision and intelligence. Carr moves his eyes quickly to read his progressions and has a good understanding of his offense and where his receivers are going. He has a well-developed football IQ that comes from growing up in a good football family. Carr makes good decisions on the ball and uses his arm and mind to hurt defenses downfield. Carr throws a very good ball and has a natural ability to throw perfect touch passes, dropping the ball in exactly the right spot. With his good ball placement, Carr leads his receivers for more yards, and he also places passes where his receiver can make the reception without putting him at risk of being intercepted. While Carr doesn’t have an elite cannon for an arm like Josh Allen, Carr has a solid arm and can make all the throws. Carr was flawless in his play; he just doesn’t have an elite skill set in terms of a power arm or great running ability. Team sources told me they are comparing Carr to Brock Purdy and Bo Nix. This tape will help Carr become a first-round pick next April.
Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is one of the best players in college football, and he was strong against North Carolina. On the first down, he had sticky coverage to force a third-down incompletion. In the second quarter, Moore showed his ability to create a pass break up while avoiding pass interference by closing on the ball and hitting it. Moore has tight coverage on Tar Heels star tight end, Jelani Thurman. However, late in the fourth quarter, Moore came out of zone coverage to try and make a big hit and break up a pass to Thurman, and Moore was shaken up on the play. Moore jogged onto the field and his injury did not appear to be serious. Moore looks like a first-round pick next April, and he could go in the top 10.