Drew Emeric Stanton (born May 7, 1984) is a former American football quarterback who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Michigan State. Stanton was a journeyman quarterback who has been a member of the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and for a short stint the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coming out of retirement.
Early years
Stanton grew up in Okemos, Michigan, a large suburb of Lansing which borders the campus of Michigan State. His family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb south of Portland, where he played peewee-football and continued to play until his sophomore year at Lake Oswego High School. Eventually, the Stanton family moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan, northwest of Detroit, where he graduated from Harrison High School.
Stanton was ranked as a four-star prospect coming out of high school by Rivals.com, and was also ranked the #6 Pro-Style Quarterback in the country.
College career
Stanton redshirted through Michigan State's 2002 campaign before serving as the #2 quarterback behind Jeff Smoker in 2003. In 2003, he also played on special teams where he made several impressive open field tackles. On November 15, against Wisconsin, he scored his first collegiate touchdown, a 13-yard rush. However, Stanton injured his knee in the Alamo Bowl against Nebraska while covering a punt and had to undergo reconstructive surgery.
After becoming the starter in 2004, Stanton received regional and national praise for his play on the field and was also named an Academic All-American. On September 25, against Indiana, he threw for 172 yards and two interceptions but rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns. On October 9, against Illinois, he recorded his first collegiate receiving touchdown on an 18-yard reception. On October 16, against Minnesota, he threw for 308 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. In the 2004 season, he finished with 1,601 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Stanton continued his role of starting quarterback in the 2005 season. On September 17, against Notre Dame, he had 327 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, one interception, 48 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. In the next game, against Illinois, he had 259 passing yards and five touchdowns. Overall, in the 2005 season, he finished with 3,077 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 338 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns.
Going into his senior season (2006), Stanton had been mentioned as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and visited New York twice for the presentation. He had been listed as high as the #2 QB in the 2007 NFL Draft by ESPN. Despite not having any substantial injuries in his high school and early college years, Stanton suffered at least one significant injury in each of 2005, 2006 and 2007.
In 2006, Stanton led the Spartans to the largest point margin comeback in NCAA Division I-A history. Against conference foe Northwestern, he accounted for 331 total yards and three touchdowns, coming back from a 35-point third quarter deficit. He began his prime time performance with an 18-yard touchdown pass, and he later ran for a 12-yard score. In the fourth quarter, Stanton completed six straight passes before capping the game-tying march with a 9-yard strike with 3:43 remaining. He eventually directed the drive that resulted in a game-winning field goal to complete a 41–38 victory.
For his career at Michigan State, Stanton completed 64% of his passes throwing for 6,524 yards, with 42 touchdowns and 28 interceptions while also rushing for another 1,512 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Stanton participated as a quarterback in the 2007 Senior Bowl, where he helped lead the North to victory. He was named the Offensive MVP for the North.
Statistics
Professional career
Detroit Lions
Stanton was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round with the 43rd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve during training camp on August 3, 2007, after having knee surgery.
In 2008, Stanton sprained his thumb on his throwing arm during preseason, keeping him out the remainder of the preseason. After Jon Kitna was placed on injured reserve, he moved up to second string quarterback, behind Dan Orlovsky.