Drew Stanton attended Harrison High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan where he played football and baseball. He was a shortstop and pitcher on the baseball team, finishing with a .561 batting average and 3 home runs as a junior. He was a two-year starter at quarterback on the football team, completing 101 of 161 passes for 2,471 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior, leading the team to a state championship. As a senior he passed for 2,822 yards and 31 touchdowns, the fifth best total in state history. He led Harrison to its second straight state championship as a senior. He finished his career completing 234 of 357 passes for 5,292 yards and 58 touchdown passes. Drew was considered to be one of the top overall prospects in the state and one of the top 20 quarterback prospects in the nation. He accepted a scholarship to Michigan State where he sat out the 2002 season as a redshirt. He spent the following season primarily as a backup quarterback and special teams player. He completed 2 of 3 pass attempts for 39 yards on the season. He was named academic all-big ten for his performance in the classroom. As a sophomore, Drew started seven games at quarterback, missing a game and a half due to a separated shoulder. He completed 141 of 220 passes for 1,601 yards and 8 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. He also rushed for 687 yards and 5 touchdowns on 96 attempts, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He finished third on the team in rushing and became the first quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yard and pass for 300 yards in a single game. His 687 yards represented the second best total for a quarterback in school history. He was named honorable mention all-big ten and team MVP for his play as a sophomore. He earned academic all-big ten honors for the second consecutive season. Drew was limited during spring practices in 2005 while rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery. As a junior he completed 236 of 355 attempts for 3077 yards and 22 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He considered leaving school early to enter the 2006 NFL draft but opted to stay in school for his senior season.

Drew Stanton has a good combination of size, strength, and athleticism for a quarterback. He has a good deal of experience against top competition, having started the past three seasons at quarterback for Michigan State in the big ten. He is a good leader and a team player who even played some special teams as a freshman. He displays good mechanics and while he doesn’t have elite arm strength, he has the ability to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. He has good field vision and is an accurate short to intermediate range passer. He has good mobility which gives him the ability to escape the rush and get out of the pocket. Once he is out of the pocket, he can make an accurate throw on the run or make a play with his feet when needed. Drew played in a spread offense at Michigan State where he operated primarily out of the shotgun. He will have to adjust to playing under center and reading the defense while he drops back in the NFL. He has been a bit inconsistent and has questionable decision making at times. He didn’t throw the deep ball much at Michigan State and wasn’t very accurate when he did go long. He has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long which results in sacks for the defense. He also needs to work on putting better touch on the shorter passes. Drew has a good chance to be selected on the first day of the 2007 NFL draft.