Getty Former West Virginia QB Will Grier
Following a strong 2018 season with the West Virginia Mountaineers, quarterback Will Grier opted to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. While much has been made about his draft stock and the projected round he could come off the board, we’ll find out the signal caller’s fate soon enough.
Grier transferred to West Virginia after his freshman season with the Florida Gators. He proceeded to play both the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Mountaineers while grabbing the attention of NFL draft scouts in the process. Over 22 games with West Virginia, Grier completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns. For good measure, he’s also tacked on five rushing touchdowns in two seasons.
With Grier’s stock trending upwards after his final collegiate season, he’s one of the many quarterbacks who could come off the board in the early-to-mid rounds. We’re going to take a look at the latest mock drafts and projections for the 6-foot-2 quarterback.
Will Grier NFL Draft Projections & Mocks
There appears to be a pretty big split on where Grier will come off the board in this year’s draft. Most analysts seem to peg him as somewhere between a second-to-fourth round selection. Luke Easterling of DraftWire has Grier as the No. 116 pick (fourth round) and heading to the Miami Dolphins. This places him ahead of fellow quarterback Ryan Finley (No. 134) out of NC State.
Other mocks which have him selected in the third round include Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, who sends Grier to the Denver Broncos at No. 71. R.J. White of CBS Sports appears to agree with Easterling on Grier landing with the Dolphins, but he projects him to be a third-round pick at No. 78 instead of a fourth.
It’s worth noting that The Draft Network’s final top-300 big board lists Grier a bit after where he comes off the board in the last two mocks, pegging him as the No. 91 prospect in the draft.
Will Grier NFL Draft: Best Team Fits
It’s hard to ignore the projections which send Grier to the Dolphins, as it almost makes too much sense. Miami needs to find their long-term answer at the position, as Ryan Fitzpatrick is likely to be a placeholder for the 2019 season. Drafting Grier in either round three or four would allow the Dolphins a season to get him ready to take over as the team’s starter.
The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots make a lot of sense also. It’s unlikely either team spends a first-round pick on a quarterback, but the Broncos may opt to take one earlier than the range of when Grier should be selected. If they do wait, he’d be a good option to slate behind Joe Flacco.
New England is obviously going to need to target a replacement for Tom Brady at some point, but I can’t envision them doing it anytime before the third round. Grier could benefit massively from sitting behind Brady and working with Bill Belichick.
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