If the New England Patriots look to draft Tom Brady’s eventual successor next month, one potential candidate is West Virginia’s Will Grier.
Grier, who currently is projected as a Day 2 pick, already has met with the Patriots once since his senior season concluded, and he’s expected to do so again during the leadup to the 2019 NFL Draft, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 23-year-old quarterback evidently made a strong impression on NFL evaluators Thursday at West Virginia’s pro day.
One NFL scout in Morgantown, W.V., just texted that QB Will Grier “put on a show” for NFL Teams in attendance and predicted he’s “a riser.” The WVU QB is expected to meet with at least 10 teams before the draft, including the Giants, Redskins, Chargers, Pats and Saints.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2019
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio was among those observing Grier’s workout.
Here at @WVUfootball Pro Day: Head coaches Pat Shurmur, Jay Gruden and Mike Tomlin and GMs Kevin Colbert, Marty Hurney and Nick Caserio. All 32 teams have sent reps.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 21, 2019
Grier was a two-year starter at West Virginia after transferring from Florida. In 22 games with the Mountaineers, he completed 65.7 percent of his passes, totaled 7,354 passing yards and threw for 71 touchdowns with 20 interceptions while playing in an offense that borrowed concepts from Josh McDaniels’ Patriots scheme.
“Honestly, Jake Spavital, my OC at West Virginia, watched a lot of Patriots film and built our offense off a lot of what they (do),” Grier said earlier this month at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Obviously, different terminology, but we would see stuff and be like, ‘We’re going to do that.’ Tom Brady does all right. So we watched a lot of Tom Brady film.”
Grier said he would cherish an opportunity to learn under Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion who turns 42 this summer.
“I don’t think you can really put into words the kind of opportunity,” he said. “The opportunity to learn from a guy like that would obviously be priceless.”
The Patriots also have shown interest Grier’s favorite receiver, David Sills, who led West Virginia last season with 65 catches for 986 yards and ranked second in FBS with 15 touchdowns as a senior. A converted quarterback, Sills is renowned for his ability to read coverages, which could make him a fit for New England’s complex offense.
Sills reportedly met with Patriots representatives Wednesday.
The #Steelers and #Patriots both spent time w/ @WVUfootball WRs Gary Jennings and David Sills yesterday, before today’s Pro Day. Both young men also met/are meeting w/ the #Saints and #Lions here.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 21, 2019
The Patriots have been well-represented on the pro day circuit this week. In addition to Caserio’s visit to Morgantown, he also visited Toledo on Wednesday. Head coach Bill Belichick has made stops at Alabama and Georgia, and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia took a hands-on approach Wednesday at Boston College.
