Benet grad LeFevour gets high marks for production

Downers Grove's Dan LeFevour gets downgraded by some draft analysts because he doesn't have great arm strength and he played in a shotgun offense at Central Michigan, which will require an adjustment period when he takes the ball from directly under center in the NFL.

But it's impossible to ignore what the Benet Academy High School product accomplished in his four years as a starter in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

No one in NCAA Division-I history ever produced more than the 150 touchdowns LeFevour amassed with the Chippewas. He threw 102 TD passes against just 36 interceptions, including a 57-13 TD-interception ratio the past two seasons.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is also the only player in NCAA history with more than 12,000 career passing yards and 2,500 rushing yards. His 15,853 total yards of offense are second all time.

LeFevour never completed less than 63.7 percent of his passes in any season. His 69.7 completion percentage last season was No. 1 in the nation, impressive even though Central Michigan runs a dink-and-dunk passing attack that favors shorter, high-percentage throws.

"Our offense (was) geared a little bit toward that, with screens and short passes and things like that," LeFevour said. "But you've got to be able to manage that offense because an incomplete pass in the spread is kind of like a turnover, so to speak, because it stalls you and gets you out of (subsequent) plays."

While LeFevour may require some time learning to read defenses while backpedaling after taking the snap, he brings with him the ability to make plays with his legs if things break down.

As a sophomore at CMU he rushed for 1,122 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He and Vince Young are the only players in Bowl Subdivision history to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

"Whatever it takes," would be a good motto for LeFevour, who did that well enough to earn the respect of his teammates.

"You've got to make plays on the field before you can open your mouth," LeFevour said. "You can't go in there barking orders to guys that have been there a few years when you haven't even stepped on the field. I think it's important for them to see your work ethic, your mentality, your approach to the game, and then you've got to produce a little on the field."

Production leaps out when assessing LeFevour's college career. But there's a lot more to being a successful NFL quarterback than gaudy numbers in a controlled-passing offense. And LeFevour has some of those attributes, as well.

In Pro Football Weekly's 2010 Draft Preview, Nolan Nawrocki writes that LeFevour is, "Highly competitive, (has) good lateral agility and scrambling ability to create plays with his feet. (He) is resourceful and has proven he can win some big games against better competition (Michigan State and Troy in '09). (He) is physically tough and will battle through pain. (He) takes the game seriously."

LeFevour will wait a lot longer than Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen to hear his name called on Draft Weekend, but the team that snags him will be getting an experienced leader with an impressive resume.

Top 10 quarterbacks

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame

Colt McCoy, Texas

Tim Tebow, Florida

Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan

Tony Pike, Cincinnati

Levi Brown, Troy

Mike Kafka, Northwestern

John Skelton, Fordham

Armanti Edwards, Appalachian St.

LeGere's view: Bradford and Clausen are first-round locks, with Bradford probably going No. 1 overall. McCoy and Tebow look like second-rounders, although QBs are frequently overdrafted because of their importance, and predictions for when Tebow gets picked are all over the board. There isn't good depth at quarterback, with a big drop-off after McCoy, and perhaps Tebow.

LeFevour is ranked anywhere from No. 4 to No. 12, depending on which draft "expert" you believe. Edwards doesn't look like an NFL quarterback because he's a fraction under 5-foot-11, but he's a two-time Walter Payton Award winner who is the only player in D-1 history with 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards. He was 42-7 as a starter and is fast and athletic enough to project to wide receiver.