Gesser wants chance to prove himself again
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser hopes teams don't sell him short. "I think if I were two inches taller, I'd go in the first couple rounds," said Gesser, who is nearly 6-1.
Associated Press library photo First-round draft order
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Still, don't expect the former Washington State and Saint Louis School star to sweat out the waiting process.
"I'll be at Sandys hanging out, chilling and, hopefully, getting a phone call from somebody," said Gesser, who returned to Hawai'i Sunday to reunite with family and friends.
Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projects Gesser to be picked in the seventh and final round or hook on as a free agent. Gesser's size — 6-1/2 and 203 pounds — is a factor. And his arm strength does not match up with the quarterbacks projected to be picked on the first day, according to Kiper.
"I think if I were two inches taller, I'd go in the first couple rounds," Gesser said. "Because I'm 6-1 and not 6-3 or 6-4 like everybody else and because there are so many quarterbacks coming out this year, I think that kind of plays a factor."
But the fact that he is considered NFL-caliber, even if it is as a seventh-rounder or free-agent signee, is a testament to Gesser. What he lacks in physical attributes, he makes up for with heart. For WSU, he found a way to win.
"(He) has a way of creating positives on the football field, even though he lacks top arm strength, as well as impressive straightline speed," Kiper says in Mel Kiper's Draft Report. "In a backup capacity, he may end up being an OK fit, but even that's not a sure thing."
Gesser said it's about who is willing to give him a chance the way WSU did when it recruited him from Saint Louis, where he was a two-time Advertiser All-State selection.
"It's the same way coming out of high school," Gesser said. "A lot of teams started recruiting me, then when they found out I was 6-1, not the biggest guy in the world, they started dropping off. Hopefully, somebody will see in me what Washington State saw in me and I can have a good career at the next level, too."
After a season playing with injuries, Gesser had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, so when he attended the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, he was not tested for his speed.
"I threw all right," Gesser said. "My first couple of throws, I was real nervous and anxious. One ball was kind of high, but after that I felt comfortable."
Following the Rose Bowl, Gesser worked out with quarterback and strength coaches. Training with him were Carson Palmer of USC and Dave Ragone of Louisville. Palmer is expected to be the first quarterback taken and possibly the first player drafted. All Gesser wants is an opportunity.
"I know I want to play football for a couple of more years or as long as I possibly can," he said. "It's just a matter of where it's going to be: the NFL, Canadian league, arena leagues. I'm going to play football until my body doesn't allow me to, or until I can't walk anymore. I know I'll be playing football somewhere. It's just what league I'm going to be in."
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Jason Gesser
Position: Quarterback
College: Washington State
High school: Saint Louis
Height: 6-0 1/2
Weight: 203 pounds
Workout note: 4.82 40-yard dash
Comment: "A guy who can certainly make things happen with the pads on, Gesser doesn't have ideal size. He also doesn't have a big- time arm, and that will be a question mark as he tries to make the grade at the next level. What Gesser has are all the intangibles." — Mel Kiper Jr., NFL draft expert
Tomorrow: Vince Manuwai, an anchor on the UH offensive line the past three seasons, feels he's ready for similar success in the NFL.
