There’s not a lot of down time for prospects leading up to the NFL Draft — especially for a quarterback. Former Iowa signal caller Nate Stanley has found that out first hand throughout his preparation this offseason.

“It’s been a really cool process,” Stanley said. “It’s been busy, too — I’ve been traveling a lot. I’ve been working with a quarterback guy out in New Jersey, so I’ve been going back and forth between Iowa City and New Jersey. I was doing all strength and conditioning stuff with coach Doyle at Iowa. Finishing up school.

“Now because of the shutdown with coronavirus, I’ve just been home and working out at home. Playing catch and throwing routes with some friends.”

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which ran Feb. 23 through March 2, Stanley participated in throwing drills and showed off the new throwing mechanics he’s been working on since Iowa’s season ended.

Stanley’s trips to New Jersey have been to meet with quarterback specialist Tony Racioppi, who he met through the Manning Academy.

“I’m just a lot more consistent,” Stanley said. “I can very easily replicate throws. That was a knock that a lot of people had on me was that consistency and accuracy. So now, I’m just making sure that my base is really solid. I’ve been working those lower-body mechanics. I can throw the ball with just as much velocity without my arm getting tired or sore.”

While at the combine, Stanley met with nearly all of the 32 NFL teams during an informal interview process. He then talked with three teams in a one-on-one setting for the formal interview process.

These meetings proved to be all the more crucial after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Iowa’s scheduled pro day and made further face-to-face meetings with NFL scouts and general managers impossible ahead of the draft.

NFL teams have been keeping constant contact with Stanley throughout the draft process, talking to him through video meetings to better evaluate him as a prospect. Accuracy has been something these teams have questioned about Stanley, and he’s addressed that. These teams have also told Stanley he has qualities that may interest them on draft day.

“What I was asked to do at the line of scrimmage, my overall knowledge of our offense and how I kind of operated it at the line of scrimmage,” Stanley said. “That’s what a lot of NFL teams ask their quarterbacks to do, and I feel like I had to do a lot of the same stuff.

“That and just arm strength. There’s some throws they’ll pull up and say, ‘Wow, that was a great throw.’”

Having run a pro-style offense at Iowa for the last three seasons, Stanley expects that he’ll grasp whatever is thrown at him at the next level.

“I think that learning curve once I get into the NFL won’t be as steep for me,” Stanley said. “There’s some things that I’ve done that somebody is gonna have to learn on top of learning the playbook on top of learning the terminology. So I definitely think that gives me an advantage moving forward.”

Stanley will be at his parent’s house in Menomonie, Wisconsin, while the draft is happening. With the unpredictability of the draft, he does not really know when to expect to be drafted, but said he’s been told it could be anywhere from the fourth round on.

Bleacher Report’s head NFL Draft writer Matt Miller identified Stanley as the biggest sleeper at quarterback heading into the draft. Some NFL teams may agree.

Wherever he is selected, Stanley is ready to contribute.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL,” Stanley said. “When I get that phone call, it’s going to be a huge rush of emotions. I do know that I’ll be extremely happy and extremely excited to get out and play again.”