2007 NFL Draft: Gunslinger Jeff Rowe Shoots for the Pros

By Jeremy White, NFLHS.com

Jeff Rowe lived in a quarterback's paradise at the University of Nevada. The Wolfpack employ four- and five-receiver formations much of the time and most commonly operate out of the shotgun offense. For a signal caller, it doesn't get much better than that.

The 6-foot-5, 226 pound Rowe made the most of his opportunities by completing 665 of 1,096 passes for 7,724 yards and 54 touchdowns (against 33 interceptions) on his career.

Rowe's cannon arm in action

In 2006, somewhat of a maligned season in which the Wolfpack finished with an 8-5 record, Rowe hit on 172 of 266 pass attempts for 1,907 yards and 17 scores. He threw eight picks and finished with a passer rating of 139.96 thanks in part to a completion percentage of 64.7.

At McCreen High School, where Rowe was a multi-sport athlete, he put up some big numbers as well despite a pedestrian offensive scheme.

"The offense we ran in high school was very simple," says Rowe, who earned all-state honors as a senior. "I pretty much threw to one receiver and that was it."

For that reason, Rowe was on quite a learning curve when he moved up to NCAA Division I football. The experience was one he'll forever cherish.

"In high school, the offense was just throwing to one receiver, basically, so it was difficult to learn all the new throws, but that was also the most fun part about the learning curve," he said.

It didn't take Rowe long to figure out the college game isn't as happy-go-lucky as high school football. He advises any prep player who has a chance of playing Division I football to realize that it's hard work and requires a real commitment, both in time and energy.

"It gets serious when you get to college. It gets intense, much more so than when you're in high school," he says. "As a quarterback, for example, you have to make different throws. The most important might be the 15-yard out, so work on that if you're a QB.

"And, most importantly, to play at the next level you have to show you understand the game of football and that you can play intelligently."

Rowe, who played basketball in high school and was also a member of the track team (he was long jumper and high jumper), advises varsity football players to take part in as many sports as they can.

"Try to be a good all-around athlete," he says. "You need to set out to perform well and do your best every time you step on the field, and playing other sports will help you do that by keeping you in shape and keeping you athletic and agile year around."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.