Where Are They Now: Greg McElroy

Twelve quarterbacks were selected during the 2011 NFL Draft, but only one had broken his hand in the Senior Bowl and was unable to take part in the pre-draft activities.

He’s also the one whose standout reputation and accomplishments in college led him to be chosen anyway, when the Jets picked Alabama’s Greg McElroy in the seventh round.

“They weren’t really in the market, I think, for a quarterback,” said McElroy, who started his final two seasons for the Crimson Tide, and led them to the 2010 BCS National Championship. “At that point, they were pretty comfortable with what they had in the room. I mean, Mark Sanchez was, of course, the franchise quarterback. Mark Brunell was there to help kind of cultivate and continue to bring Mark along. And Kevin O’Connell was there, as well.

“But as things kind of went the way they did on draft day, I think they just decided that, ‘Hey, we’ll roll the dice here. This is a kid with a pretty good pedigree and comes from a place like Alabama that has a winning culture. I think would be a nice addition.’

“And I was elated. I did not at any point in the process have any communication with the Jets. So I was thrilled to be going to New York and to be a part of an organization that really felt like it was on the rise.”

McElroy’s first year with the Jets under Rex Ryan was a combination of a 132-day player lockout, a surprise, and pain.

“I remember that first training camp and not having had any reps. And all of a sudden, I’m taking some reps with the twos because Mark Brunell, at 40 years old, he wasn’t needing the reps,” McElroy laughed. “After an amazing 18-year career, I don’t think he needed to get reps with a bunch of rookies and second-team players. He was ready to go.

“But he ended up straining his calf two or three days before the first preseason game and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Oh, no. I was going to play the third and fourth quarters, and now I’m going to have to…