USC football recruiting: Trojan QB commit gets mixed reviews on Day 2 of Elite 11

USC football QB commit Miller Moss got mixed reviews on Day 2 of the Elite 11.

The Elite 11 quarterback camp continued on Tuesday with evaluations of USC football commit Miller Moss’ performance conflicting just slightly.

Moss took the field in Nashville for the Pro Day workout on Day 2 after a solid outing on Day 1.

This time, quarterbacks were graded based on a points system. Each throw could net 1, 2 or 3 points.

How did USC football’s Miller Moss fare in the Elite 11 Pro Day Workout?

Ohio State commit Kyle McCord took the top spot on the day, setting the pace with a score of 45 out of 50. Moss wasn’t too far behind, ranking fourth overall with a score of 38.

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That’s a solid number that backs up the general perception of Moss’ ability. He’s consistent, polished and precise.

However, Moss has struggled to break into the top-tier of the quarterbacks at the Elite 11 because he doesn’t have the ability to flash like some of the others.

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Parker Thune of Sports Illustrated dropped him five spots after Day 2 down to No. 9 noting, “he doesn’t have the ability to throw downfield without taking a quite obvious bodily gather, but he’s sharp with his intermediate passing.”

Brooks Austin of Sports Illustrated’s DawgsDaily gave a similar report saying, “there is a concern that there’s not top-end arm strength but he can put it wherever he wants.”

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports included Moss in his Top 10 for the day. Again, the evaluation included praise and concern in equal parts: “He let a few balls get away from him but seemed to grasp the route concepts better than anyone else which allowed him to be efficient in the pocket.”

From a USC perspective, those reviews shouldn’t raise too much concern. In Graham Harrell’s Air Raid attack, the important skillset for a quarterback is sharp ball placement and the ability to understand the concepts of the offense. Those are things Moss has proven capable of doing. Arm strength can be worked around.

Granted, not all evaluators agree with that assessment. The Elite 11 staff is looking at quarterbacks from the top level, not their specific fit with a specific offense.

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With that in mind, it makes more sense to see Moss drop in the official rankings after Day 2. He moved down from No. 9 to No. 11 even though he scored highly in the points system.

Arm strength is something Moss can’t exactly control at this point.

For the USC commit, the key will be to do what he does best and continue to consistently deliver the ball exactly where it’s supposed to be.