Former Colorado State QB Garrett Grayson has heard the talk about his chance of being the third quarterback chosen in the NFL draft behind Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But he thinks that talk has sold him short. And he doesn't see why he can't be the top quarterback in the class.
"Me, Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley were all considered to be fighting for that third spot. I can guarantee you can ask those guys too, they're not fighting for the [No. 3], they're fighting for the No. 1," Grayson said, according to espn.com. "It's up to us to make that happen. ... I feel very happy and I've watched all those guys throw and compete -- there's not a doubt in my mind that I can compete with them."
Winston, of Florida State is considered a strong possibility as the No. 1 pick of the draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Oregon's Mariota is expected to be the only other quarterback chosen in the first round. Grayson took a crucial step in his bid to be chosen as high as possible Monday, taking part in a personal pro day at CSU in front of scouts from 11 NFL clubs. Grayson reportedly completed 70 of 74 throws at the workout, and his unofficial 40-yard dash times were 4.76 and 4.72, which would have rated highly among the quarterback times at the combine. A hamstring injury prevented Grayson from working out at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and at CSU's regular pro day March 11.
Grayson said he was pleased with the results of his workout.
"I think I proved I could make all the throws," he said, according to The Coloradoan. "I wanted to prove to everybody that I could take the five- and seven-stop drop and throw with accuracy. And then when the quarterback coaches came out and had me rolling to my right and throwing a comeback to the far side of the field, that was something I wanted to prove that I had the arm strength to make those throws."
According to the Coloradoan, NFL teams represented at Grayson's workout included the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams, with the Browns and Packers sending two scouts each.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout who played quarterback in college, named Grayson as his No. 3-rated quarterback in the draft weeks ago.
Colorado State's other top draft prospect, offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo, snapped for Grayson on Monday.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
