Drew Lock probably could have been a high draft pick last year, but instead, he opted to return to Mizzou for his senior season.

Though he didn’t put up the ridiculous stats he did in 2017, he grew a lot as a quarterback over the course of the 2018 campaign under new OC Derek Dooley.

As Lock prepares for this weekend’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, he said he feels like he made the right decision to return for his senior year. As you can see in the video below, he said a conversation with Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden on Monday proved he made the right decision:

After starting with a story about Gruden questioning a throw he made against Alabama, Lock explains “that’s another example of why I should have stayed this last year. Last year, I would have had my eyes like this talking to him. I would have had no idea what he was talking about. I would have been really overwhelmed. Now, sitting there talking to him, I was sitting there kind like this like, I’m ready, shoot your shot.”

Lock is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by many analysts, but he’ll need to perform well in the Senior Bowl and at the NFL Combine. We know he has the arm talent, but he’ll need to continue to show how much he’s grown over the past year.