Council Bluffs Native is Heading West After Being Selected in NFL Draft

A Council Bluffs, IA native, who had a breakout season in college football, leading his team all the way to the 2023 National Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs, was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft over the weekend.

That man is Max Duggan, who led the TCU Horned Frogs all the way to the mountaintop. Although Georgia mollywhopped TCU by a score of 65-7, Duggan's leadership, big-moment poise, and commendable stats made him a bit of a wild-card selection in this year's draft. Nobody knew exactly if he'd be picked as high as the second round or go undrafted entirely.

Duggan was selected with the 239th overall pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He'll be heading west to join the Los Angeles Chargers' quarterback room, where he'll not only be joining one of the most exciting young signal callers in Justin Herbert, but also be reunited with two of his TCU teammates in the process.

The Chargers coveted a couple other former Horned Frogs in wide receiver Quentin Johnson (their 21st overall pick) and fellow receiver/return specialist Derius Davis (125th overall). They are expected to contribute to an already-loaded Chargers offense.

Now, it's a matter of whether Duggan can earn the backup spot to Herbert (currently held by former North Dakota State quarterback Easton Stick), or at least make the practice squad, where he can continue to refine his craft.

The ironic part of all of this is longtime Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who threw for over 300 yards and tossed four touchdowns against TCU in the National Championship game, will also be part of Duggan's new neighborhood. Bennett was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The Rams and Chargers both share the brand new SoFi Stadium.

Duggan's performance during the 2022 college football season was good enough for him to be nominated as a Heisman Trophy finalist. His stats were strong across all major categories: he completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,321 yards, 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also rushed for a touch over 400 yards, good enough for six touchdowns for his senior year.

I love reading and following the stories of late-round draft selections, particularly the quarterbacks. Do I need to remind you how well former Iowa State Cyclone Brock Purdy performed when thrust into duty for the San Francisco 49ers?

Now, it's a matter of how well Duggan will perform in training camp and perhaps challenge Easton Stick to be QB2 in what will likely be another high-flying offensive season for the Bolts.