Colt McCoy’s return next year might not be as sure of a thing as once thought. The junior quarterback, who said earlier this season he will return for a fourth year, told reporters last week he will seek information from an NFL draft committee at the end of the season.
McCoy would like to know where he’d be drafted if he decided to leave school at the end of the season.
“I think it would be foolish not to look at it,” McCoy said. “At the same time, I want to play four years here. Not many people have had the opportunity to do that. That’s really special and important to me.”
McCoy said he’s not familiar with the process and will consult director of football operations Cleve Bryant about what to do from here.
Players can submit paperwork to an NFL advisory committee to estimate where, or if, they might be taken in the draft. After reviewing that information, players can decide to stay in college or become draft eligible.
“My intentions are to come back and play,” McCoy said. “I would love to do that.”
However, if McCoy was projected as a first or second round pick, that might change his mind.
“Would it change your thinking?” McCoy said. “We’ll see what happens.”
NFL draft expert Mel Kiper projects the 6-foot-3-inch, 210 pound junior as a third or fourth round pick if he declares after this season.
McCoy is a candidate for the Heisman trophy and a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the best quarterback in the country. McCoy leads the league with a 77.6 completion percentage and is also Texas’ leading rusher with 704 yards.
–David R. Henry