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PART ONE: DREW TO THE ZOU | PART TWO: JUST DREW

PART THREE: DAYS LIKE THESE | PART FOUR: TEE IT HIGH, LET IT FLY

On the evening of June 21, 2018, Drew Lock found himself in Thibodeaux, La., standing under a canopy of moss-draped oaks, talking football with Peyton Manning.

Lock was one of a select group of college quarterbacks invited to be counselors at the Manning Passing Academy, which is held annually at Nicholls State University. An invitation to join the first family of NFL quarterbacks was an honor in itself, but a chance to talk shop with Peyton Manning was almost overwhelming.

“I don’t get star-struck, but I have to admit that was pretty special,” Lock said.

The NFL almost certainly is in Lock’s future. The question that loomed after the 2017 regular season was whether the future would arrive sooner or later.

When Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel left to become the head coach at Central Florida, Lock’s decision on whether to declare early for the NFL draft had another layer. If he stayed, he would be playing for his third offensive coordinator.

“My first reaction was, ‘No way, I’m outta here,’ ” Lock said.

His father, Andy Lock, cautioned him against making a quick decision. Missouri Coach Barry Odom knew the Heupel news bothered his quarterback, and he met with him quickly.

“Coach Odom told me he wanted the best decision for me,” Lock said. “If I was declaring for the draft, he would support me. But he also said If I thought about returning, he would involve me in the search process (for the new offensive coordinator). That’s when Coach and I really developed a deep bond.”

In the end, Lock’s decision to return for his senior season made sense on two levels. Most important, the NFL’s draft advisory council did not give him a first- or second-round grade. But even after getting that news, Lock wanted to see who would replace Heupel before committing to returning for his senior year.

As the search for a new offensive coordinator moved forward, the normally independent Odom gave Lock a voice but not a vote. As he brought in candidates, Lock got to meet them. A few weeks passed in the process, and then Lock met someone he really liked.

Derek Dooley was the receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys for the past five years. He had never been an offensive coordinator or coached quarterbacks, but he had head-coaching experience at Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. Odom thought having another coach with SEC experience would add value in game-planning and recruiting. It was Dooley’s personality that impressed Lock.

“It was just so natural,” Lock said. “I could have talked to him for hours about football. It was one conversation, but I really felt like he would be the right guy that would help me develop and help the team to win.”

Lock relayed his thoughts to his head coach. Odom took his input, along with his own evaluation, and decided Dooley would be a good fit. The hire was announced on Jan. 5. That decision triggered another four days later. Lock announced his return with a hype video posted on Twitter.

“I decided Coach Dooley could really help me prepare for the NFL,” Lock said. “He had worked there for the past five years. I used to worry about learning a new offense, but now I realize it’s going to give me great experience. How many other college quarterbacks know three offensive systems? I bet not many.”

The difference between Heupel and Dooley is not just a matter of systems. Their personalities and coaching styles contrast.

“Drew is very creative, a free spirit, and I would be a fool to box him in,” Dooley said. “I coach like I parent. If you spend all your time telling them what to do, they don’t reach their potential as people or players. You have to let them think for themselves. My job is to guide them. He wants to be a pro someday. I treat him like a pro, treat him like a man. He’s earned that.”

A big sign of the change in the offensive coordinator-quarterback dynamic was Lock’s appearance at the Manning Passing Academy. Archie Manning, the family patriarch, actually invited Lock last year. Heupel nixed the idea, preferring that Lock remain on campus and work out with his teammates.

“Archie couldn’t believe I was turning him down, and neither could I,” Lock said. “He started explaining all the things they do to help develop quarterbacks, and I really felt bad. Archie Manning shouldn’t have to sell me on his camp. I knew it would be amazing, and I wanted to go.”

Odom said he wasn’t aware at the time that Lock was forced to turn down Archie Manning or he would have interceded. When the opportunity came again this year, Dooley and Odom were all for it.

Lock said Peyton Manning harped on his footwork, which was not his biggest priority while running Heupel’s offense. His arm was big enough to put the ball where it needed to be in a hurry, even if he was off-balance. But that footwork probably won’t fly in the NFL, and it certainly wasn’t acceptable to a perfectionist like Manning.

If NFL talent evaluators didn’t think Lock was ready for the draft this year, next year could be a different story. In his first list of the top 10 prospects for the 2019 draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper listed Lock fifth.

Those far closer to the situation share Kiper’s enthusiasm.

Sean Culkin, who played tight end at Missouri and is entering his second year with the Los Angeles Chargers, initially noticed a huge difference in the passes thrown by Lock and the ones spun by veteran QB Philip Rivers. But when he came back to Columbia this offseason, he noticed a change in Lock.

“Coach Dooley is doing something with him, because he’s NFL ready now,” Culkin said. “If he was in an NFL camp and no one knew who he was, they’d think he’d already been in the league awhile.”

Missouri receivers coach A.J. Ofodile, who spent five seasons in the NFL, said Lock’s arm is more than ready for the next level.

“I always said Vinny Testaverde threw the best ball,” Ofodile said. “But I was telling the coaches that Drew’s ball is right there with Vinny’s. If he were in the league, his arm would be among the elite.”

A big arm is only part of the equation, of course.

“I would love to have a conversation with him though to see how many gigabytes he has up there, how much capacity can his brain hold,” Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “His aptitude is just as important as his arm strength.”

If anyone knows about Lock’s aptitude it would be his head coach. He’s witnessed Lock grow as a leader in each of his first three seasons, but the greatest surge has come in the last six months.

“In the time he’s been here at Mizzou, he’s made his most significant progress since January,” Odom said. “His footwork, vision, decision-making — everything has improved. He now has the ability to take a play call, look at the defense, communicate to everyone and put them in a position to succeed. He sees the moving parts and identifies the advantage.”

Missouri’s football players are in their last stretch of offseason conditioning before reporting to camp in early August. Lock’s days play out a little different than his teammates, though. He’s a man in demand, even at the Manning Passing Academy.

“Hey Marshall,” Peyton Manning yelled to his son. “Come over here and get your picture taken with Drew.”

Lock is now the face of the MU program, peering down from billboards across the state. Missouri is already promoting him as a Heisman Trophy candidate. And why not? He set a Southeastern Conference record last season with 44 touchdown passes.

In some ways, it seems almost ordained that this third-generation Missouri football player with tremendous athletic gifts has arrived at this moment. But at points along the way, it seemed anything but inevitable that Lock would ever rub elbows with NFL royalty or even finish his college career in a Missouri uniform.

That lost and confused freshman has come a long, long way.

“He’s got a big smile on his face. He’s having fun,” Odom said. “He’ll leave his mark on this program. He will be remembered as a key reason Mizzou is able to move forward.”

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS BEGIN IN ATLANTA ON MONDAY. POWERMIZZOU.COM WILL HAVE COMPLETE COVERAGE. MISSOURI TAKES CENTER STAGE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.