COLUMBIA, MO. • Drew Lock might very well play in the NFL — but not in 2018.
Fresh off his record-breaking junior season, Missouri’s first-team All-Southeastern Conference quarterback has decided to return to MU for his senior season and put the NFL draft on hold, the school announced Tuesday. Underclassmen have until next Monday to enter the draft.
“I’m very excited to be coming back for my senior year, and I’m really optimistic about what we can do as a team next season,” Lock said in a statement released by MU. “There were a lot of factors that went into this decision, but the main ones include: a feeling of responsibility and loyalty to my coaches and teammates at Mizzou – we have goals to achieve together; having the chance to play for a new coach in Coach (Derek) Dooley, and his system that will continue to add to my development; and of course, getting my degree. I feel like all of these factors combine to give me the best chance to succeed at the next level. Thank you to Coach Odom and everyone on the Mizzou staff for being patient and very helpful to my family and me during this process. I’m looking forward to exciting things to come!”
Lock, who set school and conference records and led the nation with 44 touchdown passes, was cautioned to return to school by the NFL’s Draft Advisory Council but wanted a few weeks to plan his future while Missouri coach Barry Odom decided on an offensive coordinator. Last Friday, Odom handed his offense to former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley, who spent the last five years coaching the Dallas Cowboys wide receivers.
“I’m proud of Drew and his family for how they approached this decision and how they handled themselves during the process,” Odom said. “We were very thorough in gathering all the information possible to assist. Drew obviously has a great skill set that will continue to be developed at Mizzou. His leadership skills and being a great teammate are two qualities that I admire. I look forward to building our team this spring and am excited that Drew will be part of that. I know he will have an unbelievable approach in his preparation and practice habits to lead our program. He’s going to graduate from Mizzou and have a great senior season. I’m excited for Drew and our team moving forward.”
While leading the Tigers back to a bowl game for the first time in three years, Lock finished the season ranked among the nation’s passing leaders in every major category: 3,964 passing yards (10th), 304.9 passing yards per game (10th), 9.5 yards per attempt (fourth) and 165.7 passer rating (fourth). His 44 touchdown passes are the most for a Power 5 quarterback since 2008, when Oklahoma's Sam Bradford threw 50 and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell threw 46.
Lock’s single-season yardage total ranked third in Mizzou history, behind Chase Daniel’s 2007 and 2008 seasons, while his passer rating was the best by a Mizzou quarterback in a single season. Lock will begin his senior year with 8,695 career passing yards, trailing only Daniel (12,515) and Brad Smith (8,799) in MU history. Lock’s 71 career passing touchdowns rank second only to Daniel’s 101.
It’s expected to be a deep pool of high-profile quarterbacks in the 2018 draft, with several underclassmen entering the mix, led by UCLA’s Josh Rosen, USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson. Oklahoma senior and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield could also become a first-round selection.
Had Lock entered the draft, the Tigers would have been left with three scholarship quarterbacks who have attempted just 10 passes in Division I games, all by redshirt freshman Micah Wilson this past season.