Courtesy MSUSpartans.com

Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton might be the steal of day one of the 2007 nfl draft.

Prior to his senior season, Stanton was projected as a first-round pick in the NFL draft. Stanton is big -- 6-3, 230, has a cannon for an arm and runs well for his size. After a poor senior season, in which his MSU team struggled in virtually every aspect of the game, Stanton has dropped on most draft boards as low as the mid- to late-third round.

This might seem like a bit of a wild comparison, but this reeks of Tom Brady.

Here's a guy who plays in a top football conference; a quarterback who has performed well in his career against some of the top competition in the nation.

As a sophomore, Stanton threw for 161 yards per game, ran for 69 yards and had a passer rating of just shy of 132. He is the first MSU quarterback to pass for over 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game.

In his junior season, Stanton threw 22 touchdowns and had a passer rating of 153. So, how can a quarterback of this stature potentially drop as low as the third round?

The only answer is a poor senior season.

Outside of 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his senior season, Drew Stanton has NFL star potential.

Scouts say he's inconsistent. Some say Stanton is too willing to leave the pocket and run.

Let's think about this for a moment. Too quick to run? Stanton is a graceful runner, who has the ability to shed tackles and get the first down, when receivers are not open. Last season he had games of better than 100 and 80 yards rushing, and he topped 50 yards in two others.

Inconsistent? In three seasons as MSU's starting quarterback, Stanton completes better than 64% of his passes and has a college career passer rating of 146.

Regardless of what so-called experts say, Drew Stanton is a fine college quarterback and a wonderful NFL prospect.

Someone is going to get an absolute steal and potentially a franchise quarterback when round three rolls around in the 2007 NFL draft.