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For the Jets, having a quarterback drafted in a late round enter midgame and become a superstar is a part of their history. Unfortunately, the Jets were on the other side of the field when it happened. Back in 2001, Mo Lewis knocked out the Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, and Tom Brady, a sixth-round selection, replaced him, eventually becoming a perennial Pro Bowler. So what are the odds that the Jets’ backup quarterback, Greg McElroy, could have the same amount of success?

McElroy was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by the Jets. Since the draft was abbreviated to seven rounds in 1994, there have been 43 quarterbacks selected in the final round. Of those, only two made a Pro Bowl: Matt Cassel and Gus Frerotte. Surprisingly, Cassel didn’t make the Pro Bowl in his one year starting for New England when Brady was lost to an injury.

His only Pro Bowl came two seasons later with the Chiefs in 2010. Frerotte made the All-Pro team in his third year with Washington, but he was unseated two seasons later and spent the next 10 seasons as a journeyman with stops in Detroit, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Miami and St. Louis.

Given those odds, it isn’t likely that McElroy will see a single Pro Bowl. However, looking at other quarterbacks taken in the closing round, it’s entirely possible that McElroy could provide temporary relief for the Jets’ quarterback quandary.

Of the 20 quarterbacks who have attempted as many passes as McElroy, eight have gone on to throw more than 350 passes in their career. Joining Frerotte and Cassel in that category are starters and former starters like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tim Rattay, Tyler Thigpen, Ken Dorsey, Glenn Foley and Koy Detmer.

Those eight quarterbacks averaged a completion percentage of 56.8 percent, which would edge Mark Sanchez’s season high. And they have thrown 365 touchdowns with 327 interceptions, which is a better ratio than Sanchez’s current mark (67 touchdowns, 64 interceptions).

However, just because no other recent seventh-round pick has gone on to multiple Pro Bowls doesn’t cap McElroy’s ceiling at a stop-gap replacement quarterback. If you expand the list to include sixth-round picks, then players like Brady, Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger appear as comparable players. Additionally, McElroy doesn’t need to perform at a top level to be successful. According to ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating, Sanchez ranks 32nd out of the 34 N.F.L. quarterbacks with enough attempts to qualify. Given Sanchez’s futility and the Jets’ strong defense, McElroy needs to be merely average to improve his team.

Mike Kurylo is the founder and editor of KnickerBlogger.net, a member of ESPN’s True Hoop Network. His book on the 2012 Knicks, “We’ll Always Have Linsanity,” will be released in November.

