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Few would argue that Marcus Vick doesn't possess the physical tools to play in the NFL.

A cannon-like throwing arm? Check.

Blazing speed? Check.

Incredible quickness and moves? Check.

An extremely rare set of wonderful athletic utensils? Undeniably.

That said, is the ex-Virginia Tech quarterback considered the sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer? Hardly.

Thanks to a series of stupendous decisions he made off the field that led to his eventual banishment from the Tech program last January, Vick has now become possibly the biggest wild-card in next weekend's NFL Draft. Instead of preparing for what would have been his senior season of college, and being a likely first-round draft pick next April, Vick finds himself in scramble mode.

Not only have his multiple scrapes with the law cost him millions, Vick has become all but counterfeit goods to some. Reportedly, a significant number of NFL teams have erased his name from their draft boards.

While his older brother, former Hokies star Michael Vick, was the first overall pick in the 2001 draft, Marcus' stock has fallen to where he is considered a long shot to be taken on the first day.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN's longtime NFL Draft analyst, said Thursday he will be "very surprised" if Vick is selected in Saturday's first three rounds of the two-day, seven-round draft.

"Can Marcus Vick put all his past problems behind him? I don't know," Kiper said. "That's why I think he's a fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-round guy.

"I feel Marcus Vick desperately needed to play another year of college football. When Tech let him go, I said then he would better served to transfer to a top Division I-AA program and get some more experience. He's got a lot of talent, but he's only started in college one year. You need more than that before you start taking on NFL defenses."

Character is the key word when any team looks at Vick. Will he be the next Lawrence Phillips or Maurice Clarett? Or will he put his troubled past behind him?

Seven weeks after being booted from Tech, Vick participated in the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

Knowing his past would be the focal point of questioning from representatives of the 32 NFL teams, Vick appeared to be contrite, according to most reports. He did his best to explain his transgressions.

"At this point in my life, I just want a team to give me a shot," he told reporters. "It doesn't matter what round or how much money. I just want a shot to prove my ability."

He will get it, too. Some team will roll the dice and give him a chance.

Larry Woodward, Vick's Newport News lawyer-agent, said Friday that he's gotten phone calls about Vick from some interested NFL teams.

"What I've been hearing, the questions about Marcus are what you would expect, which are not whether or not he has enough talent to play in that league, but the other stuff," Woodward said. "I think the people who have looked into that have had their concerns taken care of.

"When he's a good player in this league, all this stuff is not going to matter," Woodward added.

Vick couldn't be reached for comment this week. His mother, Brenda Boddie, said Friday that her youngest son was in Atlanta, where he's been working with noted trainer Chip Smith and hanging with Michael.

Tech coach Frank Beamer said he wouldn't consider it a gamble at all taking Vick. When asked if he would draft Vick if was coaching in the NFL, Beamer immediately responded, "without a doubt ... without a doubt.

"What you've got here is a very, very talented guy who has probably learned from what's happened to him and will better because of it," Beamer said. "I do think he knows now.

"Part of the thing that made him so good was how competitive he is, but he let that competitiveness get him in a couple of situations ... like, 'If you mess with me and I'm going to mess with you.' Instead of, 'Forget that, and let's go play football and I'll throw a touchdown pass over your head' or 'I'll run around you for a touchdown.'

"I think the team that takes Marcus will be smart because I think he's going to be make a heck of an NFL quarterback myself."