SPORTS
Stocco hopes to win in NFL, too
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Also by Dave McGrath:
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- Injury leaves Stocco down, out Saturday (November 8, 2006)
- UW seeks net returns (April 26, 2007)
- Pack up: No contract for Stocco (May 9, 2007)
- Passing game showing signs of life (September 25, 2006)
by Dave McGrath
Thursday, April 26, 2007
John Stocco is a winner. You want his résumé for the NFL? Don't look at the 40-yard dash time, or how far he can launch a pigskin — look no further than his record.
29-7. 18-6 in Big Ten games. 2-1 in bowl games.
Had it not been for a late-season shoulder injury, John Stocco very well might have left Wisconsin as the winningest quarterback in the school's history.
"Hey, the kid's won, and that's important," Jesse Kaye, a scout for the New York Jets, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "(Brooks) Bollinger was more of an athlete who's developed as a passer. (Jim) Sorgi was maybe a little more advanced as a passer. And this guy is a combination of the two."
Along with Thomas, Stocco was the only other Badger invited to the NFL Combine, and had mixed results, checking in as one of the shortest (6-foot-1 1/2) and slowest (5.11 40-yard dash) quarterbacks tested. However, Stocco made up for some of his negative stats with an impressive passing display, completing 15 of 22 passes to wide receivers at the final day of the Combine, drawing the attention of talent evaluators.
"Some of the early throws when he was just doing the drops, I thought he was really mechanical," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell of the Minnesota Vikings told the Journal Sentinel. "He was better in just the throwing to receivers. He threw accurately. He had a nice career. Tough kid. He's a winner."
While many scouts at the Combine predicted Stocco to be a mid-to-late round selection, in the weeks since, the quarterback pool has deepened, and the UW stalwart's prospects for being picked have slimmed a bit.
ESPN draft expert Todd McShay left Stocco out of his full seven-round draft projection, and Stocco hasn't been mentioned by many draft gurus as a hot prospect. However, even if Stocco does slide through the draft unselected, it is without question that he will get his shot in the NFL as a post-draft free agent signee.
At that point Stocco will once again be able to show what he is: a winner.
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