Although Nate Davis is leaving Muncie to pursue a career in the NFL, there is a chance he might not leave the state of Indiana, a NFL Draft analyst said.
After Davis' announcement Tuesday that he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft, Scout.com NFL Draft Analyst Chris Steuber said the Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams that could be interested in drafting him. The Colts could actually be the best team for Davis to be drafted by for his NFL future, Steuber said.
"I don't think he should be on the field right away," he said. "I think rookies have to learn the system and get comfortable."
The Colts would be a great fit for Davis because he could sit behind Peyton Manning - who was voted the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player for a record-tying third time this season -¡- for a couple years and learn the NFL system, Steuber said.
In addition to learning from the 32-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback, Davis would benefit from the Colts' tendency to use a lot of shotgun snaps, the analyst said. Prior to coming to Ball State, Davis had predominantly taken snaps out of the shotgun in high school.
"The best situation for him is to learn behind a proven veteran and learn the ropes," Steuber said.
Davis is likely to be a late first round or early second round draft pick, Steuber said.
Along with the Colts, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers are among the teams that could also look at the former Cardinals quarterback, he said.
"It's all just what teams want to address the quarterback position in [the late first round or early second round]," Steuber said. "It's hard to say which teams will be looking for QB."
Ball State coach Stan Parrish said he does not know in what round Davis will be selected, and he will leave that to the experts.
"I don't have a clue, and the good part is they can decipher all that," Parrish said.
Davis became the third underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft at the quarterback position this year along with Matthew Stafford of the University of Georgia and Josh Freeman of Kansas State University. A lot of speculation has said that Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford from the University of Oklahoma will also declare for this year's draft by Thursday's deadline.
Steuber said Davis would be rated behind Bradford and Stafford but ahead of Freeman. He said University of Southern California quarterback Matt Sanchez would also be a first round pick if he would declare for the draft.
Overall, this year's class of quarterbacks seems to be about a B average as it has a lot of promise, Steuber said.
Davis will likely be a good to above average player in the NFL, the analyst said, but he does not think he will ever be a Pro Bowl player.
"I would say a good starter," he said. "I'm not going to say he'll be a Pro Bowler or an elite starter. I'd say he'll be a starter within two years."
Davis still has a chance to improve his draft stock at the NFL Combine, Steuber said. He has to work on his mechanics such as setting his feet and gripping the ball normally, as he currently throws the ball however he catches it and not necessarily on the laces, the analyst said.
Davis does have a lot of skills that will make him enticing to NFL teams, he said.
"He has great accuracy," Steuber said. "And what he does very well is see the field."
Parrish, a former NFL assistant coach, said he talked to Davis many times about his future in the NFL. The quarterback has the skills to succeed in the NFL but his success will depend a lot on what situation he is drafted into, he said.
"A lot of it is the luck of the draw on draft day, and sometimes guys are very disappointed and within a year they're very happy and vice versa," he said.
Steuber said he thinks Davis made the right decision to go to the NFL Draft this year.
"I would say his stock is as high as it's going to go," he said. "And if he went back to school, I'm not sure there's anything he could have done to improve his stock."
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