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Kansas State Wildcats: Jake Waters 2015 NFL Draft Stock

By Leigh Oleszczak

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Jake Waters had a solid two year career with the Kansas State Wildcats, and now it’s time for him to enter the 2015 NFL Draft and see what happens. Waters is currently projected as the 16th best quarterback available in this year’s draft and as of now, isn’t projected to be drafted in any of the seven rounds according to CBS Sports.

Of course, that’s just a projection and means almost nothing. A team could end up really liking Waters and decide to take a chance on him. Before the 2014 season began, Dane Brugler of CBS Sports had this to say about Jake Waters,

"Waters lacks ideal height with average-at-best build, but is a tough competitor who stays focused in clutch situations. He operates well in the Wildcats’ shotgun, zone-read offense, showing quick feet in his drops with the pocket presence to recognize pressures and get the ball out quickly.Waters is athletic with vision as a ballcarrier, evading pressure and also stepping up in the pocket to deliver with a solid base. He doesn’t always see all 11 defenders and tends to lock onto targets, leading to mistakes and turnovers.Similar to Connor Shaw a year ago, Waters’ skill-set doesn’t scream NFL quarterback, but with a productive and winning senior season, he will earn a shot to make a pro roster."

Jake Waters finished his career with the Wildcats with 5,970 yards, 40 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions. Waters led Kansas State to a victory in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl against Michigan in the 2013 season, but fell to the UCLA Bruins in the Alamo Bowl in 2014.

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    • The Alamo Bowl didn’t look pretty at first for the Kansas State Wildcats, but Waters was able to bring the team back into the game despite being down 31-6 at half time. K-State still lost, but Jake Waters went 31 of 48 for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

    It was later discovered that Waters had an injured shoulder during part of the 2014 season, but had been playing through the pain. While Waters successfully had surgery on the injured shoulder, this can’t help his draft stock too much considering he already seemed to be left off the “quarterbacks likely to be drafted” list (Source of article: Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star).

    "That means Waters injured his throwing shoulder so badly against Oklahoma that he needed surgery, but decided to hold off on an operation for nearly three months so he could play in K-State’s final seven games. That will put him in the same toughness category as former Bill Snyder quarterbacks Collin Klein and Grant Gregory, who had several injury stories to tell at the end of their college careers.– Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star"

    Personally, I don’t see Jake Waters hanging around the pros too long, but you just never know. If he doesn’t get drafted, he can still hope to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent, which has worked for NFL quarterbacks like Warren Moon, Tony Romo, and Kurt Warner. If a team takes a chance on Jake Waters, maybe he’ll have an opportunity to prove himself in the NFL.

    Next: Where Will Ryan Mueller Be Drafted?

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