Has Garrett Grayson Done Enough to Join Day 2 Conversation with Hundley, Petty?

The gamesmanship to become the No. 3 quarterback prospect in this year's NFL draft class continued after Garrett Grayson's individual workout Monday at Colorado State. 

Grayson made his case to eventually become the third quarterback selected, but he still falls short in certain areas compared to his primary competition. 

The Rams quarterback didn't work out at the NFL combine in Indianapolis or Colorado State's official pro day due to a tweaked hamstring. Grayson instead conducted a personal workout in front of numerous scouts, coaches and NFL decision-makers on Colorado State's campus. 

The quarterback entered the day with the intent of proving he is every bit the quarterback prospect as UCLA's Brett Hundley and Baylor's Bryce Petty. The members of the threesome are continually pitted against each other as the next best candidate beyond the draft's top two quarterback prospects, Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota. 

Grayson felt he accomplished his goal, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold: 

"

I proved what I can do today. I think I'm up there with the best, I think obviously everyone knows Winston, Mariota are kind of the 1-2. But as quarterbacks, or any position, you should always be pushing, always fighting for the No. 1 spot at your position, no matter who's out there.

Me, Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley were all considered to be fighting for that third spot. I can guarantee you can ask those guys too, they're not fighting for the [No. 3], they're fighting for the No. 1. It's up to us to make that happen. ... I feel very happy and I've watched all those guys throw and compete -- there's not a doubt in my mind that I can compete with them.

"

Despite Grayson's claim, he still falls short of both Hundley and Petty. 

If we adhered strictly to pro-day performances—which everyone knows is only a small part of the evaluation process—the native of Vancouver, Washington, still wasn't the most impressive of the three. Petty was. 

"For what it's worth, [Petty's pro day] was better than [Marcus] Mariota's," an anonymous scouting director told Bleacher Report's Matt Miller. 

It seems as if Petty gained more ground in recent weeks than the other two prospects in question. 

NFL Network's Lance Zierlein provided an example of the increased interest in Petty after his pro-day performance: 

Despite being overshadowed, Grayson still put together a strong effort during his individual workout.

"Grayson completed 70 of 74 throws in the workout—with one drop from wide receiver Charles Lovett—as scouts asked him to throw from the hashmark to the far sideline much of the time, from both the left and right side of the field," Lewold reported. 

It's important to note exactly what scouts asked of the quarterback. When viewing Colorado State games, the 6'2", 213-pound signal-caller didn't display explosive arm strength. He also presented an elongated release. 

Both of these were addressed during the workout. 

"Seeing him in person, man, I knew it when we was warming up on his first throw that his mechanics were a little different and that he had a little more zip on the ball and more confident," Lovett told the Reporter-Herald's Mike Brohard. "And he was looking a little better, a little lean, a little muscle."

Take a quick look at the above picture of Grayson. His arm is cocked far back and not in alignment with his elbow. His throwing motion presented a whip-like action that isn't considered ideal mechanics. 

Obviously, throwing a football is like tossing a baseball. It can vary greatly based on a player's comfort level—the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers is a perfect example of an unconventional throwing motion—but Grayson apparently made it an offseason priority to improve upon his release. 

Brohard provided an example of Grayson throwing deep in front of scouts: 

Even in that very limited sample, it's easy to see the quarterback doesn't have any trouble pushing the ball downfield with his tightened delivery.  

What Grayson lacks is a definable trait that sets him apart from the likes of Hundley and Petty. 

Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM in Denver succinctly summed up Grayson's status: 

When the Colorado State prospect is discussed, one positive is usually attributed to his game. He, like Winston, is viewed in a more positive light due to the system in which he played. Jim McElwain, who left Colorado State to take over as the head coach of the Florida Gators after the season, runs what is generally considered a pro-style scheme. 

Unlike Mariota, Petty and Hundley, teams can see on film how Grayson's skills translate to the next level because he was asked to make multiple NFL-caliber throws. 

NBC Sports' Josh Norris described how McElwain set his quarterback up to succeed: 

In his two years as a starter under McElwain's supervision, Grayson threw for 7,702 yards, 55 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. More importantly, the quarterback improved upon every major statistical category between his junior and senior campaigns. 

And Grayson continues to show improvement in certain areas. 

"I wanted to prove to everybody that I can take the five-step and seven-step drops from under center and throw with accuracy," the quarterback told the Coloradoan's Kelly Lyell. "And then the quarterback coaches came out and had me rolling to my right and throwing it comeback, back to the far side of the field. That was something I wanted to prove that I had the arm strength to make those throws, and I think I did it."

Even with these improvements and relative strengths to his game, the Colorado State product still falls short of his competition. 

Hundley may not have put together the best pro-day performance of the trio, but he is still the most athletically gifted. At 6'3" and 226 pounds, the UCLA signal-caller is bigger and faster than Grayson, who ran an unofficial 4.72-second 40-yard dash Monday. Hundley is also two years younger and presents far more natural upside than his 23-year-old counterpart.

Petty is more svelte than Grayson too and outweighs him by 17 pounds. The Baylor product is even an inch taller. The former member of the Bears also claims a far bigger arm and performed better at his pro day.

While there are major concerns about Baylor's system and how it translates to the next level, Petty's throwing ability is second to none in this year's class. Purely from a tools perspective, Petty's arm separates him from most prospects. 

Grayson is the type of NFL prospect teams draft to become their backup quarterback. The team is then pleasantly surprised if he shows enough promise to potentially develop into a starting option. He's not the level of prospect teams select early in the draft with the intention of building around his talent. 

Both Hundley and Petty present far more upside, which makes Grayson no better than the fifth-best quarterback prospect in this year's draft class. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.