Drew Olson attended Piedmont High School in Piedmont, California where he played football and baseball. He played catcher on the baseball team, earning league MVP honors as a junior while averaging .478 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI. He played quarterback on the football team, completing 165 of 270 passes for 2,740 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. He was named first team all-league and league MVP for his play as a junior. Drew served as team captain his senior season, completing 101 of 195 passes for 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named first team all-league and all-state for his play as a senior. He finished his career completing 439 of 774 passes for 6,103 yards and 60 touchdowns with 29 interceptions. He was considered to be one of the top 15 quarterback prospects in the nation and was selected to play in the California-Florida all-star game. Drew accepted a scholarship to UCLA where he served as a backup in 2002 until starter Cory Paus went down with an injury midway through the season. Olson completed 53-104 passes for 702 yards and 3 touchdowns with 4 interceptions as a true freshman. He started 9 games as a sophomore, completing 173 of 325 pass attempts for 2,067 yards and 10 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. As a junior he completed 196 of 341 attempts for 2,565 yards and 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Drew had his best season as a senior, finishing his career completing 242 of 378 attempts for 3,198 yards and 34 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions.

Drew Olson has a great deal of experience, having been the starting quarterback for UCLA since midway through his true freshman season. Olson has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback. He is a good leader and game manager. He is an intelligent player who knows how to read defenses. He makes good decisions and takes what the defense gives him. He is extremely accurate on his short to intermediate range passes and he puts good touch on the ball. He does a good job of leading his receivers, allowing them to get yards after the catch. He has the ability to get out of the pocket and make an accurate throw on the run but he lacks the athleticism to make many plays with his feet. Drew Olson has just average arm strength and probably won’t be able to make all the throws at the professional level. His lack of arm strength will cause him to under throw some of the deeper passes which can lead to interceptions. Drew Olson has a chance to be drafted late or sign as a undrafted free agent.