2018 NFL Draft: Will Grier coming into the top QB conversation

2018 NFL Draft: West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is having a phenomenal debut season at West Virginia, and could be a top NFL Draft prospect…

The 2018 NFL Draft could be loaded with some of the most intriguing quarterback prospects to come along in quite some time. Not every one of them is perfect, in fact, none of them are. That being said, there are guys that look like they are worthy of the risk for NFL teams, and one player that has recently really caught my eye is West Virginia’s Will Grier.

In case any of you had forgotten Grier’s story, he was suspended at Florida for using a performance enhancing substance, which he said was an over-the-counter product from a health store that would help with muscle recovery and muscle building.

We must not forget how good Grier was at Florida as a freshman. He led the Gators to a 6-0 record before the suspension was handed down, and was making plays both as a passer and a runner:

Grier said in an interview later that he spoke with (then) Florida head coach Jim McElwain multiple times about his future with the team, and whether or not Florida actually wanted him around.

That conversation ended with Grier being told, or at least from what he recalls, that a fresh start for him wouldn’t be the worst thing. That effectively ended his time at Florida and opened up the recruiting process.

While Grier acknowledges he was recruited the hardest by Urban Meyer at Ohio State, it was the loyalty Dana Holgorsen showed at West Virginia — along with the proximity to his hometown — that sold him on the Mountaineers.

Grier’s first year with West Virginia has gone about as well as anyone could have expected, given the year he has spent just practicing and not going against live competition.

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As of the time of this writing, Grier has completed over 64 percent of his passes in 2017 and in 10 games has 3,440 yards and 34 passing touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions, along with another pair of rushing touchdowns.

He’s realizing the potential statistically that we all saw from him at Florida back in 2015, but what about his NFL prospects?

From my vantage point, Grier is a player that has a very, very strong arm, and plus athleticism. He’s not technically as sound as you’d want someone coming in to be, but he has the playmaker gene and can make throws to any level of the field.

He puts the ball into tight windows, and puts good touch on balls deep downfield.

While Grier may be a product of the offense at West Virginia in terms of the numbers he’s putting up, I definitely see translatable skills to the next level. He’s made a believer out of me and in a down year for some of the guys that were expected to be the top quarterbacks in this class, he could take advantage and be one of the top three or four guys picked at his position.

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