Quarterback
Rex Grossman
College: Florida
Year: Junior
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 223
Birthday: August 23, 1980
Strengths: Finishing a close second in Heisman voting last year may have been part of the reason why Rex Grossman chose to return to college football for another season. His decision to stay followed a stunning departure of his Ballcoach, Steve Spurrier, and much heartache and fence-sitting on the part of Grossman.
With Grossman back in the fold, another run at the Heisman and a National Championship seem possible. So is Grossman the reason why? Or was his success due to the famed Fun ‘n’ Gun offense? This much we know for sure: Grossman has been the most productive quarterback Florida has ever matriculated.
Grossman is patient in the pocket, and he knows how to find the open receiver. Better yet, he has decent arm strength and can effectively put enough lead on his passes for his receivers to scoot underneath and make a play. Grossman has a good mix of on-field smarts and physical talent.
Areas for Concern: Danny Wuerffel. Shane Matthews. Even Kerwin Bell, though he was pre-Spurrier. It’s unfair, but the same criticism that Jabar Gaffney faced in the 2002 Draft will cast a heavy shadow of doubt over Grossman. The question NFL scouts and general managers must answer is should it?
Grossman’s decision to return to Florida for the 2002 season may actually help his cause in beating that rap. It won’t be as easy for pundits to look past Grossman’s gaudy statistics if he can put them up again under new coach Ron Zook.
In this year of the oversized quarterback, Grossman’s physical stats aren’t helping him. Footspeed is not something helping him, either. His release point may be markedly better than Wuerffel’s, but it’s still not consistent.
Though he’s not known for finding himself in trouble, Grossman was benched by Spurrier for the start of the 2002 Orange Bowl. Grossman admittedly missed a curfew by a couple minutes while having his own fun ‘n’ gun on South Beach. Ballcoach says it was more than a couple minutes. “It was a clear breakdown of the rules,” Spurrier said at the time. No harm. Grossman only needed a couple minutes to torch the Terrapins with four touchdown passes on 20 for 28 passing, propelling his Gators to victory.
How Would He Look in Steel Blue? Well, given Spurrier’s evident propensity for former Gator players, if the Redskins were to pick in front of the Texans, we may never know. Though with David Carr in the fold, Houston fans may never know, anyway.
It is not a given that Grossman declares his draft eligibility after the 2002 season. Thanks to a redshirt season in 1999, he still has one more year left at Florida if he chooses. Can Zook convince him to stay again?
(profile written by Keith Weiland
)
Rex Grossman’s 2001 Stats G ATT CMP % YDS TD INT 11 395 259 65.5 3,896 34 12
Rex Grossman 
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