College football's elite seniors descend on Mobile, Alabama one week each year to display their talents one last time for scouts of the National Football League.

Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour will return to the site of his last game, the GMAC bowl, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. He will be on the North team, coached by Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz and his coaching staff. LeFevour, the current NCAA record holder for most career total touchdowns, has impressed scouts and coaches in Mobile, including praise from Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

In particular, LeFevour has done well with his transition from typically running plays out of the shotgun formation, to taking snaps directly under center, a skill that so far has eluded the most lauded quarterback in the Senior Bowl, Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow. Tebow has had much publicized struggles with fumbles after snaps under center, and scouts continue to question his tools in an NFL skill set.

However, while LeFevour may have impressed Lions coaches, it remains unlikely that he would end up in Honolulu Blue. The Lions will be sticking with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford, as well as former Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton and will use the draft to fill holes at defensive back, defensive line, receiver and offensive line, among other needs.

LeFevour is projected to be taken as early as the late second round, all though it seems more likely he will go in the third or fourth. Teams that could take a chance on LeFevour include the St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars or Carolina Panthers.

There are major question marks facing LeFevour, which he must answer on Friday, or at his pro day and at the NFL scouting combine. While LeFevour rushed for over 2,500 yards in his NCAA career, his speed, clocked at around 4.8, will not be enough to be a consistent rusher in the NFL. LeFevour must prove that his questionable arm strength is pro ready, and demonstrate that he can pass vertically.

LeFevour and the CMU offense was built on a lot of short slants, screen passes and yards after the catch, so LeFevour must prove that he can put the ball in the air consistently, beat NFL defensive backs and still complete a majority of his passes.

At the Senior Bowl, LeFevour will be sharing the snaps with two other quarterbacks on the North team, Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike and Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield. On the opposite sideline, competing for attention will be Tebow, West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown and Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson.

All five of the other quarterbacks are currently ahead of LeFevour on most draft boards, so he will have a lot of ground to make up to maximize his draft potential. In what is being called a weak quarterback class, filled with question marks for injuries or the lack of experience in a pro style offense, LeFevour sits as one of the low men on the totem pole, and every quarterback ahead of him costs him opportunities and money. LeFevour certainly has his work cut out for him in the months ahead, and the journey begins this week at the Senior Bowl.

GCM stock photo by Michael Mulholland

By Doug Sears Jr.

Comments(1):

1. Dan LeFevour

   Good article Doug! I am definitely excited to see the transition of LeFevour from college QB to NFL QB. Definitely going to be tough for him going from basically a quick 3-step drop to 5/7-step drop in NFL style offenses. I consider him a nice project for an NFL team in 5th round with maybe a team falling in love with his grit and selecting him in maybe the 4th.

   Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Ryan

More Featured Articles