Is Grayson the right QB for the Bills to draft?

• Grayson set Colorado State career passing records for yards%2C TDs%2C completions and completion percentage.
• Grayson once played for former Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild at Colorado State.
• He threw 32 touchdowns with just six interceptions in 2014 and was Mountain West player of the year.

ORCHARD PARK - Garrett Grayson's childhood dreams and ambitions likely weren't any different than most of the other collegians hoping to be selected in this week's NFL Draft.

"I've had this dream since I was five years old," the standout quarterback from Colorado State said. "Most kids, when they're little, they want to be policemen or firemen, something like that. I remember telling my mom when I was little that I wanted to be an NFL player, that I wanted to be an NFL quarterback."

Grayson's dream is going to become a reality. The only questions that remain unanswered are which day is he going to be picked - during Friday night's second or third round, or in the later rounds Saturday - and what team will call his name.

If that team turns out to be the Buffalo Bills, they would probably wait until their third-round pick (No. 81 overall), provided he's still available. And if he is, it wouldn't be a bad idea for general manager Doug Whaley to take a chance on this rapid-riser who some believe is the third-best quarterback prospect in this draft behind Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota.

"He's third, either he or (Baylor's Bryce) Petty," said ESPN's Mel Kiper.

Kiper's ESPN colleague, Todd McShay, said recently, "I think Grayson is the name we're going to start to hear more as the third QB (in the draft)."

In a draft not flush with outstanding prospects, Whaley knew he had no chance of finding Buffalo's long-awaited franchise quarterback this year. Without a first-round pick to package in a potential blockbuster trade, Winston and Mariota were out of reach, so Whaley had no choice but to tap into an unimpressive veteran quarterback market, trading for Matt Cassel and signing free agent Tyrod Taylor to compete with EJ Manuel for the starting job.

However, that doesn't mean the Bills aren't going to draft a quarterback. While none of the second-tier group - which includes Grayson, Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, and Oregon State's Sean Mannion - is considered worthy of winning a starting job as rookies, it might behoove the Bills to take one.

Unless Manuel, Cassel, or Taylor has a stunning breakthrough, the chances are that none of them are ever going to be the true franchise quarterback the Bills so desperately need. So it makes sense to get someone in the system now, let him sit back and learn and develop, and perhaps he could eventually be that player.

If so, Grayson may have the best chance because while at Colorado State, he played in an efficient pro-style offense, first under former Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, and later under Jim McElwain, who replaced the fired Fairchild as head coach in 2012 and just left Colorado State after Grayson's senior year to take over as head coach at Florida.

"Grayson played in a pro-style offense," said Kiper. "He can play under center; he can go in a three-, five- or seven-step drop; he can come in and help you."

Former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden agreed, and he said Grayson's training gives him an advantage over the other prospects.

"There's a lot of parts of Colorado State's system that I recognize, unlike a lot of college football that's running up-tempo, no-huddle, spread-option football," Gruden said. "There's some principles at Colorado State that will serve Grayson well. He can run it, he can audible, he can get you out of trouble with his legs. He's a dark horse in this class."

A hamstring injury limited Grayson's ability to perform at the Scouting Combine, but as almost all quarterbacks do, he lit it up at his pro day. Also, his team interviews have revealed that he understands offensive concepts, he's intelligent, he's tough (he has battled through numerous injuries), he's got a little gunslinger in him, and he raised the level of play of his team.

When he came out of high school in Vancouver, Washington, he had very few scholarship offers. One was from nearby Washington State, but the alma mater of ex-Bills QB Drew Bledsoe wanted him to play safety. Grayson, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 213 pounds, said no thanks, quarterback was his position, and he ended up setting countless school passing records at Colorado State.

You may recall a certain former Bills' quarterback who was once recruited by Penn State to be a linebacker, but Jim Kelly told Joe Paterno no thanks, and went to play quarterback at Miami before embarking on a Hall of Fame NFL career.

Grayson never doubted himself when he entered college, and he doesn't doubt himself as he exits, even though so many draft evaluators wonder whether he can transition from the Mountain West Conference to the NFL.

"I know other people have doubts about me coming from a smaller conference, but there was never a moment when I didn't think I could do it," he said. "I don't think that chip on my shoulder's going anywhere any time soon.''

And one of the keys to his confidence is how he has been taught, and how he has played.

"I think it gives me a leg up in this draft," Grayson said of the pro-style offense he directed. "Seeing the guys that play in the spread, all the verbiage they're going to have to learn to get used to, protections, everything, I'm used to it. It's something that definitely benefits me.''

Naturally the Bills have done their homework on the available quarterbacks, and without professing interest, director of college scouting Kelvin Fisher said of Grayson, "He's a good solid quarterback. I think it's going to take some time. He has some throws that he can make and he has some throws that he needs to work on. He does make good decisions, poised, he has some movement in the pocket. But, I think he would be a backup, coming in, and possibly be a starter at some point. But, he's a solid player."

MAIORANA@DemocratandChronicle.com

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