1-on-1: Former CSU QB Garrett Grayson

Q: Since the Reese’s Senior Bowl, how has the NFL Draft process been for you?
A: It’s been good. It’s been a wild ride as you guys probably know. It’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s just been fun to meet the different personalities of the NFL, be around some Super Bowl winning coaches, some great GMs, it’s been a fun process, it really has.

Q: You and I go way back now to the Mountain West Conference Media Days in Las Vegas, we met for the first time out there and my job was to get a look at you and gauge your interest. When I sat down with you, I thought that’s a guy we would love to have in Mobile and hoped that you would have a big year and you did. Going back to that conversation, you see a guy with a Reese’s Senior Bowl jacket approaching you, what’s going through your mind?
A: That’s the biggest game as a bowl game that a senior can get into. As soon as I saw you walking up to me and talking to me about that whole process, you get jitters and you get a little nervous obviously because like I said that’s the biggest game a senior can get into. So it was fun for me to get to talk with you and go through that process and I was definitely extremely excited and extremely blessed that you guys actually picked me and wanted me to come down there because it’s a great game to showcase your talents and go through the week of practice in front of all the scouts in the world. It really was a true blessing for me.

Q: What was the biggest surprise of the week for you?
A: Really the scouts are there just for practice and then weed out through the week as the week gets later on. Most of them don’t even stay for the game. That’s something that I heard about but I was kind of shocked at the same time. They are really there to just see you practice and go against the best talent in the country and then they’ll take off and go watch the game on TV or whatever it is. It was kind of interesting but I completely understand it at the same time. It was fun to see. 

Q: Trust me though they’re still breaking down the game tape, that game is still very important.
A: Oh yeah.

Q: What was it like for you to finally get that invite?
A: I remember as soon as it happened, I called my dad right away and me and my dad were both extremely excited because like I said that’s the biggest game you can get into. I had been invited to the Shrine Game, but obviously I was hoping for the Senior Bowl just because there’s so many doubts that people have coming from a smaller conference people will doubt whether you can play against the big boys and play against the true talent as I heard some people say. So to get invited to that game and go against the best of the best and have a decent week and perform decently was something I was extremely excited about. 

Q: You’re on the same team as the quarterback from the University of Alabama and you got to experience the Alabama atmosphere, what was it like to be on the same team as the Alabama quarterback?
A: It was fun. Blake Sims is an awesome kid, really is. Just hanging out with him and getting to talk about where he was from and the culture where he grew up. It was fun to get that different feel of different players and how they approach different games. It really was a blast for me. I fortunately started the game, I was lucky enough to start the game but when he came in the second quarter it was an awesome sight to see, him walking in going into that huddle and the whole stadium just blew up. That was cool, I’m sure it was special to him but it was special for me to see just how important football is and how seriously Alabama and Alabama fans, community, how seriously they take it.

Q: The big thing about the Reese’s Senior Bowl is it is such a community event and I know how important community is for you. You do a lot for the lives of kids in Fort Collins in various ways, now how can being an NFL player help you impact the kids even more?
A: I think once you make it to that level, you have to give back at some point. It’s something that obviously so many people helped you along the way so you have to give back to your community. I think it’s extremely important being an NFL player kids look up to you that much more and want to be around you that much more so I think like I said it’s only right that you give back and try to influence people the right way.

Q: When you look at this NFL Draft class of quarterbacks, they’ll say there’s the first tier of QBs of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota and then everybody else. Where do you see yourself fitting in that conversation?
A: I think as a quarterback or any player you have to have enough confidence that you can get the job done as soon as you’re asked. If that’s the first year, if it’s four years down the road, it’s four years down the road. I think I’m up there with the best, I really do. I’ve competed against all those guys many times. I got to see them and there hasn’t been one thing that’s kind of made me in awe of them and at the end of the day that’s given me a ton of confidence going through this process. Whenever my name is called to finally get to play I’ll make sure I’m ready. 

Q: Mountain West Offensive Player oft the year, you hold almost every Colorado State passing record, how do you want to be remembered?
A: I think the biggest thing for me is to be remembered as a good person. That’s something I was taught by my parents growing up. It’s more about being a good person than the stats you leave behind. That’s something hopefully when I go back to Colorado State and visit and I’m hanging around the guys that I played with the last couple of years, hopefully they’ll all just remember me as being a good person and a good teammate and a guy that will do anything for them. 

Q: Jim McElwain has a track record of developing quarterbacks and your growth from the time that you were a grayshirt to the time you left Colorado State is astonishing. Take us through that process.
A: It was definitely a career filled with lots of ups and downs, it really was. It started out as a grayshirt. Not many schools wanted me. CSU, I was fortunate enough they gave me a scholarship so I did the grayshirt thing and went down to Austin, Texas and trained with a  guy named Ty Detmer and learned as much as I could from him. Then I went back to CSU, was redshirting my freshman year and then Pete Thomas – who was starting at the time – hurt his knee so I ended up starting the last three games of the year. Then I was going to be the starter for the next three years but I ended up breaking my collarbone my sophomore year so I missed the rest of that season. And then I was fortunate enough to stay healthy the rest of my junior and senior year. So like I said, many ups and downs but I think that whole process and going through some of those downs that I went through made me a better player, made me a better man and obviously made me the player that I am today and I wouldn’t want it any other way, I really wouldn’t. 

Q: What was it like to be the quarterback in a Jim McElwain offense?
A: It was a blast. Getting to learn from him, being around the guy that’s been in the NFL and then won two national championships at Alabama, had a Heisman Trophy winner, just to be around him knowing what he brought to the table, it was a true blessing and then definitely extremely grateful CSU hired him and brought him on board with us because CSU football was not in a good place at all until he got there and he changed everything. We went 10-3 this year and he deserves a ton of credit for it.

Q: Is Rashard Higgins the best wide receiver in the country?
A: No doubt. No doubt in my mind. He’s an absolute stud. I think that was pretty obvious with what he put on film this year. Had 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns. I was going to him as much as I possibly could because he’s an impact player. You can give a 2-yard screen run and he can take it 80 yards to the house. No doubt in my mind that he’s the best. 

Q: After the Reese’s Senior Bowl comes the NFL Combine and you chose not to participate there, what went into that decision?
A: So I ended up pulling my right hamstring about ten days before the combine. It was actually on the very last sprint of my training so it couldn’t have been any worse timing. It’s just kind of another thing to add to the ups and downs of my career, some adversity. So I ended up about two days before the combine I tried to take some drops and everything and still couldn’t do it, my hamstring still wasn’t 100 percent so I ended up not doing it. I didn’t want to go out there and perform in front all the scouts, GMs, head coaches and not be 100 percent and having them doubt me even more. So I wanted to wait for my pro day so I went out there at pro day, ran and did everything – threw and threw well. I was extremely excited and happy with how I threw so definitely I was happy about how that whole process played out.

Q: How about standing there next to Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota at the NFL Combine?
A: I just kind of see them as my buddies, my friends. I was fortunate enough to go to the Manning Academy last summer so I got to meet them there and just be around them. You see them on TV all the time and they’re doing these interviews and things like that so just being around them and seeing that they’re normal human beings, it was fun to be around them and be able to talk some football with them. It was extremely exciting. Obviously they could go 1 and 2 in the draft so just to be around draft picks of that caliber, it was fun. 

Q: You came out of high school as a dual threat guy, right? Yet people still want to question your athleticism, why do you think that is?
A: I think that’s just because I didn’t run very much throughout my career. I forced myself to become that guy because like you said out of high school I was a dual threat and my freshman year and even my sophomore year, as soon as there was a sign of trouble I wanted to run. And as you guys know, the guys that last in the NFL are the ones who stand in the pocket and make all the throws so I kind of forced myself to become that guy and make sure when a blitz comes that I’m standing in the pocket not trying to run as soon as I see it, making sure I throw the hot read and things like that. So I think those are the ones that last in the NFL so I wanted to become that guy and I think I did it.

Q: Another thing you displayed down here in Mobile was the ability to run a pro style offense because you had done it before, you came from it. Where do you see the label of having system quarterback compared to guys who run a pro style in college?
A: Coming out of high school I was a full spread, zone-read, four or five wide receivers every play. And so I wanted to come to a pro style system in college because the NFL was a dream of mine. I wanted to make that transition in college rather than in the NFL when your time is very limited if you’re not performing. I wanted to make sure I got that transition out of the way and I think I handled it the right way. I think obviously it’s only helped me playing in the pro style system under Coach (Steve) Fairchild my freshman year and then playing with Coach Mac. There are so many things that go into a pro system with all the protections, all the check-with-me’s, depending on what the defense does we’ll flip the play or have to kill the play. There’s so many things that go into it. I really do think it’ll make the transition to the NFL easier for me because it’s one less thing I need to worry about. There’s already so much speed and guys are so much bigger and everything closes quicker in the NFL so that’s one less thing I’ll have to worry about. 

Q: You say the NFL has always been a dream of yours, how long have you been a quarterback?
A: My entire life. I’ve played tackle football since third grade and I wanted to be a running back. Growing up, as a kid you wanted to score all the touchdowns and I feel like those were the guys that scored all the touchdowns. I remember kind of getting into an argument with my parents because they wouldn’t let me play running back, they wanted me to play quarterback so obviously looking back now, as a kid you never want to admit that your parents were right but looking back my parents definitely obviously knew something. I’m definitely thankful they forced me to play quarterback because it’s worked out for me.

Q: Can you take us through any of the visits or workouts that you’ve done with some teams?
A: I’ve had now four workouts and a couple visits. I can’t say which teams, they’ve asked me to keep that under the radar so I don’t want to get in trouble before I’m even there. But I’ve had those workouts and they’ve all gone really well. I’m definitely excited about my performances with those workouts because there’s been some doubters about my throwing motion or if I have a strong enough arm. So to have these teams come out and visit with me and be able to watch me in person and know that I can make every throw that’s asked of me was definitely something I was excited about. The visits, it’s really just kind of a time where they want to sit down and hang out with you and see what kind of person you and just talk some football so it’s a little more laid back than the workouts are. It’s all part of the process and as you guys know, there’s different pieces and lots of pieces that go into the puzzle that go into it and they’re trying to find out everything they possibly can about you because at the end of the day they’re going to be handing you a lot of money and they don’t want to be wrong about it.

Q: So why should someone take you as a quarterback and someone who could potentially be the franchise quarterback?
A: I think because I’m a guy that no matter what I’m never too hyped up and I never get too down. I’m a guy that’s pretty calm and cool. The situation is never too big for me. That’s something I’ve proved throughout my career. Because we weren’t a team that was just blowing out opponents, I had to play in the close games, I had to play in many two minute drills, things like that. So it’s something going to the next level, obviously the stage gets even bigger so showing that I can do it at the college level should kind of give me a leg up to hopefully prepare me to be able to do it in the NFL. So it’s something I’ve tried to harp on as much as I can. I can play in the pro style system and I can play under pressure. It’s something that I’m trying to get it out there as much as possible. 

Q: I can’t let you go without asking about Jon Gruden. You did the Gruden QB camp, what was that whole experience like?
A: It was an absolute blast. He was an awesome guy. I was extremely blessed and thankful that he had me down. I’ve watched that show every year since it’s been out. To actually have my own show with him that was something I’m extremely thankful for. Just to be able to talk some football with him and be able to pick his brain. He’s a Super Bowl winning coach so obviously he knew what he was doing. I’m extremely thankful that he had me down there and to get to pick his brain for even the four hours that I did, I became a much better player just from that I think I really did. I learned a ton about the film study, different cadences, protections like that, there are so many things going into an offense trying to beat the defense and obviously I knew that but just to get to talk to a Super Bowl winning coach about that whole process is something I’m very thankful for.

Q: Did you learn anything about Spider 2 Y Banana?
A: We actually never talked about that one time. That was something I was kind of looking forward to getting to talk to him about but actually never brought it up one time.

Q: What about Uncle Danny, who played for the Steelers, any advice from him?
A: Yeah I’ve actually talked to him a couple times. The advice that he’s given me is to just enjoy the process because it can be long and grueling. There are times that you get tired of it but at the end of the day he told me to just enjoy it because this is a dream of mine that I’ve been working on since I’ve been four or five years old so just to enjoy it and embrace it because not many kids – I think it’s only one percent of college athletes – that get to play in the NFL so it’s just something you got to enjoy it at the end of the day.

Q: Garrett, enjoy the rest of this process, it’s not long now until your name will be called. We appreciate your time and we’re glad that you had a great experience down here at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
A: Yeah I’m very thankful you guys had me down, I truly am. Thank you for having me on, thank you again.