Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy knows he’s not as good an athlete as Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. And McElroy is pretty sure he’s going to be waiting to hear his name called at the NFL draft long after Newton has been selected.
But McElroy thinks he’s more ready to play in the NFL than Newton is.
Asked on the Dan Patrick Show who’s better prepared to play in the NFL of the two of them, McElroy picked himself.
“I say me,” McElroy said. “Obviously, my talent level has a much lower ceiling than Cam. That’s fair, and I respect and understand that. But I don’t think I’m the only guy in the NFL that might have that same problem -- I don’t think Peyton Manning is as athletic as Cam.”
McElroy says he has an advantage over Newton because he has much more experience playing in a pro-style offense, and that he’s better than Newton at reading defenses.
“As far as understanding and processing information . . . five years down the road will he be a more productive player than me? That remains to be seen,” McElroy said. “I think with my experience in the pro-style offense, my ability to drop back from under center, make checks from the line of scrimmage without looking at the sideline, all of those things play in my corner as far as being very prepared to make the transition to the next level.”
McElroy also confirmed he got a 48 on the Wonderlic, and he said NFL teams are higher on him than most people realize.
“I think I will get drafted higher than a lot of people suggest,” McElroy said.