It's great to see players make the decision to stay in school rather than leaving for the big bucks, but it can be a costly one. NFL teams often draft on potential, and the longer scouts have to watch a player, the less he'll be drafted on potential, and the more he'll be drafted on results.
Locker was thought of as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, but opted to come back to school for a year.
After a freshman season when Locker ran for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns, he was injured as a sophomore and missed most of the season. As a junior, he rebounded from his injury and put together a solid campaign, relying more on his arm than on his legs. He finished with 21 passing touchdowns to 11 interceptions, and ran for nearly 400 yards and seven touchdowns.
This year, his numbers are on pace to be about the same, but he's choked in big games. In an early season home loss to Nebraska, he was just 4-for-20 for 71 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. And while he torched Oregon State for five touchdowns and one interception, he had another dreadful performance against another fantastic offense in last week's loss to Stanford.
Locker was 7-for-14 for 64 yards and two interceptions against the Cornhuskers, leaving scouts wondering whether he's ready to take on NFL defenses. Against Stanford, he suffered a broken rib and is out for this weekend's game against Oregon, and possibly for longer than that.
He's still projected as a first round quarterback by ESPN scouts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, but coming back may have cost him millions.
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