Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
With about six weeks remaining until the NFL draft, several players are jockeying for position on various draft boards.
Among these is former Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy, a four-year starter who led his team from irrelevance to an 8-6 campaign and a Mid-American Conference title.
And don't think NFL scouts didn't notice. Coach Turner Gill said there were scouts at nearly every Buffalo practice and game.
"Drew Willy is going to be a later round pick," Todd McShay, director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc., said. "A lot of teams are hoping he continues to fly under the radar."
NFL scouting guru Mel Kiper agreed with McShay's assessment last week when he listed Willy among quarterbacks who could either be taken in a late round or as an undrafted free agent.
Scouts Inc., gave Willy a draft grade of 31, which means he's considered a player that has some tools but needs coaching to get to the level to make an NFL roster. Willy has a higher grade than Missouri's Chase Daniel and Arizona's Willie Tuitama, and he falls in the same grading scale as Purdue's Curtis Painter, Fresno State's Tom Brandstater, and Clemson's Cullen Harper.
Scouts appreciate that Willy improved every year he started at Buffalo. He finished his senior season completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,304 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.
However, like many quarterbacks this year, there's a fear that his stats might be inflated because he played in the spread. He does have good feet, enough mobility to scramble and buy time and enough poise to hang in the pocket and make an accurate throw.
"Everybody likes him, but there are a few teams that really love him," said Buffalo coach Turner Gill, who was a starting quarterback at Nebraska. "There's no doubt in my mind that he can play at the next level. I'm not saying he could go in there and play his first year and be a starter or anything of that nature, but I think in two or three years, someone's going to give him an opportunity and be very, very happy with this man."
Watson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
