Rising Fever: QB Dan LeFevour Just Might Have What It Takes To Succeed

It happens every year. Teams with a semi-void and need at quarterback are faced with a conundrum: They don’t deem it justifiable to invest first round money in the position, so they wait until the middle rounds to find their “gem.”

The unfortunate part is that very few if any of these picks ever really pan out. Kellen Clemens, Tarvaris Jackson, and Brodie Croyle are just some of the recent examples.

One player who could possibly break this trend is Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan. The 6’3" 230 pound former Chippewa was a four-year starter who compiled a successful career at the collegiate level.

The evaluations and projections run the gambit when it comes to LeFevour. He has been pegged anywhere from third ounder all the way to an undrafted free agent.

The knock on the young gunslinger is that he possesses no standout traits that would lead scouts to believe he can become a successful NFL starter. His arm won’t awe you, his instincts aren’t surreal, and his mobility isn’t game changing.

His only discernible trait is his knack for winning, especially in the clutch. LeFevour is the classic “does everything well but nothing great" type player. For that reason there will be many who unnecessarily downgrade him and overlook what he provides.

Teams looking for “Flashy” need not study Dan LeFevour. He is nothing of the sort. Instead, he simply embodies the traits you want and ask for in a QB. He is a clutch leader and gritty competitor. Don’t expect anything less.

He is everything that the second level of QBs in this draft (Tebow, McCoy, and Pike) are so often are praised for, with the only exception being that he didn’t have the opportunity to showcase his talent at a “name” program.

That could be why there isn’t the same amount of buzz surrounding LeFevour. He wasn’t on magazine covers or in the spotlight of BCS bowls. While the others were doing all of that, LeFevour was doing what he does best, leading his team to clutch victories.

Through coaching changes and player turnover every year, LeFevour remained, and the winning ways did as well. He was the glue and the beacon of light, and there is something to be said for that.

Naysayers and prognosticators will dismiss him as just another system QB, which in and of itself is a weak and empty argument. Every Quarterback is a system QB!

Sam Bradford was successful in the same system that helped Jason White win a Heisman.

Colt McCoy was successful in the same system that helped Vince Young win a National Championship and became a Top 3 pick.

Jimmy Clausen was successful in Charlie Weis’ system, the same one which helped Tom Brady flourish.

Tim Tebow was successful in the same Urban Meyer system that gave Alex Smith the shot being the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Tony Pike comes out of the same Brian Kelly spread system that Lefevour thrived in.

All these players come from good and solid systems. Their successes and the successes of their predecessors show that. All their skills fit their offenses quite well, and that is what allowed them to be successful.

Every quarterback needs the right system to get the best out of their skills. That’s common sense. Putting a square peg in a round hole will never fit, even if that square peg is the best one there is.

Fitting is something that always come natural to Dan LeFevour, and that’s important to consider. From his first game until his last, he has always fit in well.

I can recall LeFevour’s first game, a weeknight loss to Boston College, because it was the first game of that season. LeFevour came in (he didn’t start) as an unheralded redshirt freshman and played well enough for people to take notice. If it weren’t for Brian Kelly flip flopping his QBs and breaking LeFeveour’s rhythm, they very well could have pulled off the upset that night.

Since then, we have seen Dan grow and progress as a player and a bona fide leader. He has gotten better every year and maintained a strong level of consistency in his play throughout his career.

They say the good ones have the “it” factor, and I believe Dan LeFevour has a little bit of that in him.

With all that said, LeFevour is still likely to be a mid-late round pick.

I’m not saying he is the surefire next Tom Brady; that would be an asinine statmement. I’m saying he deserves an honest shot like Brady no matter when he ends up being taken.

The draft is such a crazy enigma. If a guy goes one place, he could thrive and be great, and if he happens to go somewhere else, he could fall flat on his face. It all depends on how the chips fall.

Hopefully the chips fall in LeFevour’s favor and he can go to a place where his abilities can be utilized and showcased to their fullest.

Then maybe it will show us all that it’s not where you play but rather how you play that is most important to becoming a great player.