Dan Orlovsky has put C.J. Carr’s top-five NFL Draft potential under the spotlight ahead of Notre Dame’s matchup against Miami. The ESPN analyst sees promise in the young quarterback, but believes the Miami game could show whether Carr lives up to a top-five projection.

During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up breaking down Carr’s performance against BYU, Orlovsky named three areas where he needs to improve: completing available throws, avoiding overthinking before the snap, and moving on when his intended receiver is covered.

“I love the fact that he’s using his eyes to move the backer. Beautiful. You know what’s going on. Now you got to make this throw. If you’re going to be a top 5 pick, make that throw. Will you do that against Miami? The second thing: Look at the clock here, 5:29. They put so much on him to be perfect,” Orlovsky said, via Instagram.  

Orlovsky based his assessment on Carr’s performance against BYU, studying his decisions before and after the snap. During the breakdown, he noted that Notre Dame’s offense broke the huddle with 5:29 remaining on the play clock but snapped the ball at 5:04. Carr made several pre-snap adjustments, which Orlovsky felt used up time on second down.

The ESPN analyst also highlighted how the play developed after the snap. He said Carr appeared to anticipate a single-safety coverage, but the defense presented two safeties. With a double-move option at the bottom of the formation, Orlovsky said the middle of the field offered a better target.

The Sports Emmy Award-winning analyst also felt Carr needed to look beyond his first option when the defense took it away. Rather than forcing a pass into coverage, he wanted the quarterback to find the receiver left open by the defense. He also said Miami’s secondary could be a weakness.

“This Miami defense is not very good secondary-wise. Huge exposure,” Orlovsky remarked.

His assessment puts Carr’s upcoming performance under more scrutiny. If the Hurricanes allow opportunities in the passing game, the Notre Dame quarterback will need to recognize them and capitalize with accurate throws.

The matchup could also test whether Carr can identify different safety alignments without forcing passes into coverage. Orlovsky wants to see him trust his reads, attack the middle of the field when it is available, and move to another option when the intended receiver is covered. But more than anything, Orlovsky wants Carr to demonstrate better execution when opportunities arise.

Against Miami, Carr will have a chance to show whether he can make those adjustments. Finding the open receiver and taking advantage of clear passing opportunities will be important if he wants to answer Orlovsky’s concerns.