McFeely: First round QBs, followed by first round WR? At NDSU? Get outta here

Cornerback might've been in the discussion, too. It's a so-called "skill position" and the speed and athleticism needed to be taken in the first round at that position translates into the big-time FBS programs hoarding top-end cornerbacks.

But at the top of the list would've been quarterback and wide receiver.

Elite quarterbacks are so coveted at every level of football that the chances of a Football Championship Subdivision program like NDSU getting a commitment from a top-end, highly recruited high school QB with the passing skills needed to be taken in the first round are infinitesimal.

Add that to the fact the Bison run the ball far more than they pass it and it's highly unlikely a four- or five-star prep quarterback is going to choose NDSU. Trey Lance was considered a three-star recruit. Current wunderkind QB Cole Payton was a two-star.

And, no, Lance and Carson Wentz were not highly recruited by Power Five FBS programs. The University of Minnesota, famously, recruited Lance to be a safety.

Both those players came to NDSU, developed, and were taken in the top three picks of the first round. Wentz actually sat for three years behind Brock Jensen (a redshirt year and two seasons) before becoming the starter as a junior. Remarkable.

Receiver is another one of those positions that generally requires such size, speed and athleticism that any high school player exhibiting those traits is going to be gobbled up by the big-time programs.

The five receivers taken in the first round of the 2021 were from LSU, Alabama (2), Florida and Minnesota. The last FCS receiver taken in the first round was Jackson State's Sylvester Morris in 2000. Only three FCS receivers have been first-round picks since the subdivision was created as I-AA in 1985.

Again, factor in NDSU's heavy favoring of the run the Bison ran 72% of the time in 2021 and the likelihood of a top-end receiver choosing the school and then becoming a first-round pick is miniscule.

All of which makes the possibility of the Bison's Christian Watson going in the first round of the NFL Draft that begins Thursday a bit of a head-spinner. Not Wentz at No. 2 overall or Lance at No. 3 spin-worthy, but something I'd not think I'd see in a professional lifetime of covering the Bison.

Offensive linemen in the first round? For sure. Defensive linemen? Yes. Linebackers, safeties, tight ends? It surely seemed like those were much more realistic possibilities than a quarterback or receiver going on the draft's first day.

But here we are. Watson was a lightly recruited, not-quite-fully-grown high school kid from Tampa when NDSU assistant coach Atif Austin found him at Plant High School. Watson committed to NDSU before his senior year, ignored other schools that tried to jump in late and eventually developed into the most dangerous player in FCS by his senior season.

Watson was good enough that he could've left via the transfer portal for the highest reaches of FBS. That's fact, not speculation.

He stayed and his name might be called Thursday as a first-round draft pick out of NDSU.

Several experts have Watson going late in the first round. Others have him going early in the second round.

Watson said last weekend the majority of NFL teams that have talked with his agent seemed to indicate going early in the second round was the most likely possibility. Bison coach Matt Entz said NFL front-office personnel he's talked with are saying late first round, early second round.

"From a recruiting standpoint, I think it eliminates the argument that good receivers don't play here, right? We we've had tremendous receivers here, we've thrown the ball enough to win. And isn't that what our goal is, is to win?" Entz said. "Last year we were one of the most efficient offenses in the country throwing the football. Christian has opened other people's eyes to the value of NDSU."

Whether he goes in the first or second round, Watson will be the second receiver from NDSU to play in the NFL since 2019. Darrius Shepherd was an undrafted free agent who bounced around with several teams. He's now playing the USFL.

"Being part of a program like this, Christian's constant reminders to media members that if you want to go somewhere to win, if you want to win championships, this is where you need to be," Entz said. "He came here, he had a solid senior year with great numbers for us. But he still was developed as a high-end wide receiver. He could have gone a lot of different places and caught the ball 100 times, but he found his purpose here. He helped us on special teams. He was extremely valuable. I think it'll help us a ton moving forward."

After Lance went early in last year's draft, NDSU tried to brand itself as "QBU." Is "WRU" next?

Let's hope not. But the idea a Bison receiver could have his name called by Roger Goodell on the first night of the NFL Draft is still something I wouldn't have wagered on even as NDSU's FCS dominance got rolling.