Former ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace has been busier than most students lately.

Unlike some college athletes that forgo their last semester of school when planning on playing professional sports, Wallace chose to stay at Iowa State and finish up his degree in sociology. “It’s not guaranteed that I’ll get drafted, so this way I can have my degree to fall back on,” he said.

Having only two classes left to graduate, Wallace said he likes his schedule. “This way I can knock out my two classes and stay here and still work with my strength coach [Matt McGettigan],” he said.

Another addition to Wallace’s schedule is contacting and working out with NFL teams. Some teams that have shown interest in him include the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.

It makes no difference to Wallace which team picks him up. “Whatever team that’s going to pay and hopefully give me some playing time is all that matters,” he said.

A main concern for most NFL teams is Wallace’s size. “Seneca is a little undersized for a quarterback in the NFL,” said ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper.

Some teams have wanted Wallace to try and work out at wide receiver, but, even after running a 4.5 second 40-yard dash, Wallace refused to at last month’s NFL scouting combine. “The first thing they say when they see that I’m only 5′ 11 1/2″ is ‘Oh, he’s playing receiver’ but I chose not to,” Wallace said. “They’re going to find flaws in everybody’s game, that’s just how things are.”

Another thing that caused Wallace’s draft status to fall was how he ended last year’s season. “He didn’t finish with momentum at the end of the season, and that could cause some scouts to look down on him,” Kiper said. “He went from being a second-round pick in September to a second-day pick by December.”

However, Kiper still believes that Wallace can be a good NFL quarterback.

“He’s got a good arm, he’s creative in the pocket, he’s a great leader and he plays a smart game,” Kiper said.

“He accomplished a lot at ISU without the supporting cast of teams like Texas or Oklahoma,” Kiper said. “Dan McCarney has done a great job of building up the talent base there but it’s still not to the level of some of the top teams in the country.”

Kiper likened Wallace to another undersized, mobile quarterback that had a good NFL career — Doug Flutie.

“I see a little Doug Flutie in him with his arm strength and how he moves around in the pocket,” Kiper said. “He’s very creative back there.

“I think that Seneca will at least be a great backup quarterback in the NFL and I really think he could play in this league,” Kiper said. “I think that he would be a real bargain for somebody on the second day of the draft. I see him going in the fourth round.”

Wallace agrees.

“I know that I can play quarterback with anybody in the country,” he said.

Wallace has another workout on March 25 at Iowa State’s Pro Timing Day, where Wallace, along with other ISU football seniors, will work out for various scouts from the NFL.