Three-time BCS national champion and Maxwell Award winning quarterback AJ McCarron has officially declined an invitation to participate in the 2014 Senior Bowl, AL.com reports.
“AJ McCarron has declined our invitation to play in the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl,” Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. “We are very excited about the deep and talented roster of 100-plus players coming to Mobile.”
McCarron, a Mobile native, explained his reasoning on Tuesday.
“I really appreciate being invited to play in the Senior Bowl. It is quite an honor and something I’ve dreamed about while growing up in the Mobile area,” McCarron told AL.com. “However, at this time, I’m putting all of my focus and energy into preparing for the NFL combine, pro day and the rest of the pre-draft evaluation process. Therefore, I won’t be taking part in the Senior Bowl.”
The Senior Bowl gives players a chance to potentially boost their draft stock in front of NFL coaches and scouts. Opinions on McCarron’s draft projections vary. Some think he’s a late first round talent. Others project him as late as round five. Savage told NFL.com that he thinks McCarron is likely a second or third round choice.
“Within the state of Alabama, most think he’s in the top five picks. Outside of Alabama, you hear people say he may not even be a fourth or fifth-rounder. I think the answer is somewhere in between. The vast majority of scouts I have spoken to see him as a second or third round pick,” Savage said.
As Alabama’s starting quarterback, McCarron led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national titles in 2011 and 2012 and finished second in the 2013 Heisman Trophy voting. He holds Alabama’s career records for total offensive yards, passing yards and touchdown passes.
The Senior Bowl takes place on Jan. 25 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
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