Will Kyle Wright get drafted? “Definitely.”

CORAL GABLES - Will former UM quarterback Kyle Wright get drafted this weekend?

“Definitely,” said Wright on Wednesday by telephone from his home in Northern California.

Wright bases his optimistic outlook on “a ton of great feedback” from NFL teams following strong performances at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in early February and at UM’s Pro Day later that month.

“I’m definitely expecting to get drafted,” Wright repeated. “I’ve moved up the list of quarterbacks and the demand for quarterbacks in the NFL, especially this year, is high. Everyone is looking for someone. Not necessarily a No. 1 guy. Everybody seems to need a No. 2 or No. 3 guy that they want to develop into hopefully a starting quarterback a few years down the road. What happens is going to happen, but I’m excited about whatever opportunity I get. I’m looking forward to it.”

Coming out of high school five years ago as the nation’s top prospect, the question surrounding Wright wasn’t if he would be drafted, only how high.

But an up-and-down college career that culminated in a senior season in which Wright threw more interceptions (14) than touchdown passes (12) caused most observers to write off any chance at a pro career.

Solid showings in Indianapolis and UM’s Pro Day could change that, although Wright’s name has been absent from some of the more reputable seven-round mock drafts out there, including those published this week by ESPN.com and The Sporting News.

Wright, who worked out for the San Francisco 49ers last week, is certainly striving to make sure he’s ready for an opportunity. Leading up to the NFL combine, Wright was regularly putting in eight-hour workouts that began in the morning in Oakland and finished across the bay in San Mateo.

Those workouts included sessions with quarterback guru Tommy Martinez, who also prepared Tom Brady and JaMarcus Russell for the NFL draft.

“He’s big on fundamentals and mechanics,” Wright said. “I think a lot of quarterback coaches can tell you when you do something wrong….but don’t know how to teach you to correct it. Tom will critique me and coach me, but he’ll tell me why he’s doing it, and that’s something I never really had.”

(palmbeachpost.com)