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Adrian McPherson QB Ex-Florida St. 6’3 218
By: Robert Davis

Adrian McPherson is one of the most intriguing players in this draft. As a high schooler, he became the first player ever to be named Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in the state of Florida. In 2002 at Florida St. he threw for 1,017 yards for 12 TD’s and only 1 INT, but only completed 51.6% of his passes. He was then dismissed from Florida St. on gambling charges. He enrolled at Murray St. and Tennessee St., but didn’t play in either place. McPherson moved on to the Arena League, and took them by storm in his first year. As a rookie for the Indiana Firebirds, McPherson threw for 3,267 yards, 61 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions.

There is not a more physically gifted quarterback in this draft. McPherson has everything you want in a QB. He has very good size, has a very strong arm, and is an excellent athlete. Recently at the combine, he clocked a 4.69 40 despite pulling a quad muscle during the run. In both stops as a QB, McPherson was careful with the ball, only throwing 6 total interceptions. He has major upside.

For all that talent, McPherson has just as many questions off the field. He was dismissed from Florida St. and plead no contest to gambling and stolen check charges in 2003 and was sentenced to probation and community service. He has a lot of work to do to show teams that was just a case of a teenager making mistakes, and that he is a more mature individual now. On the field, McPherson needs time to develop his skills. He only started a handful of college games, and only played one year in the vastly different Arena League.

Someone is going to take a chance on McPherson, and it may pay off huge. He is the real wild card in this draft. This kid has it all on the field. Had he remained at Florida St. without any off the field issues, he would be shopping for houses in San Francisco right now. When you watch him play, you see a lot of Donovan McNabb in him. All indications are that he has matured since his days in Tallahassee, but the fact that he did make major mistakes cannot go unnoticed. Just how much it effects his draft stock remains to be seen. Come April, he could go anywhere from the second round to the fifth. I think McPherson has matured, and is going to be an absolute steal for some team.

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