Ben Chappell finished his senior season leading the Big Ten in passing with 3,295 yards last season. Ben completed 62.5% of his passes and threw 24 TD’s and only 9 INT’s. However, Ben not participating in the NFL combine will likely have a significant impact on whether or not he gets drafted next month. Although it is still possible to impress NFL scouts with his Pro Day performance (which was yesterday) as well as his interviews with teams, the majority of the names that are called in April’s draft will have competed at the combine. The question of whether or not he gets drafted has been something that many people can’t agree on and I would argue that more people than not don’t think it will happen.
The good news is that after weighing in at 224 lbs yesterday he was able to show off some quickness that people said he had lacked. He is an accurate passer and was very productive last season but some argue that his numbers were probably inflated due to the Hoosiers exceptional receiving core and our pass happy offense. Although Ben finished up his education with an approximate 3.7 grade point average and could likely have a very successful business career if he didn’t pursue football, he has stayed focus on his goal of getting to the NFL since he got here. If Ben managed to get drafted it would likely be in one of the later rounds. Let’s take a look at the QB’s who were drafted in the 7th round of last years draft to see how Chappell stacks up.
2010 Draft:
209th Overall Bill’s selected Levi Brown from Troy.
Size: 6’3 229 lbs
Passing Yards: 4254
Completion %: 63.7
TD’s: 23
INT’s: 9
239th Overall Saint’s selected Sean Canfield from Oregon State.
Size: 6’4 223 lbs
Passing Yards: 3271
Completion %: 67.9
TD’s: 21
INT’s: 7
250th Overall Patriots selected Zac Robinson from Oklahoma State.
Size: 6’2 214 lbs
Passing Yards: 2084
Completion %: 59.8
TD’s: 15
INT’s: 12
Ben Chappell:
Size: 6’3 224 lbs
Passing Yards: 3295
Completion %: 62.5
TD’s: 24
INT’s: 9
Obviously stats don’t tell the whole story but if you look at the production of the players senior years Ben is definitely not too far off. He trained with Charlie Frye this off season to get ready for the draft and Frye said that he felt the Pro Day definitely helped Ben’s cause. I know Hoosier nation is pulling for him and eagerly waiting for the draft to get here.
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Original Story:
http://hoosierstateofmind.com/2011/03...
