FORT WORTH, Texas - Colt McCoy was in town for the 33rd annual Davey O'Brien National Quarterback award to officially pick up his hardware. And he had no trouble lifting the trophy.

McCoy reports that his right shoulder, which was injured on the fifth play of the BCS National Championship game with Alabama on Jan. 7, is recovering nicely. The nerve injury suffered by the Texas quarterback cruelly ended his senior season prematurely.

"It's getting a lot better and I'm very confident," McCoy said Monday at the Fort Worth Club. "There's nothing structurally wrong. I have an intense daily rehab program and I see the doctors every week. My shoulder is responding much quicker than normal. Nerve injury recovery can be very inconsistent.

"It was a weird injury."

McCoy is working out in Irvine, Calif., with about a dozen draft-eligible players including Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson, Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and Texas defensive back Earl Thomas.

The winningest quarterback in college football history said that he is close to being 100 percent. He hopes to be able to throw at the NFL Draft combine on Feb. 24 in Indianapolis. McCoy said he's throwing 40 to 50 passes a day and is being closely supervised by doctors.

"Hopefully I'll be able to throw in the combine," McCoy said. "That's my goal, I love to compete, I want to go out and compete with those guys, go out there and throw and be myself. But obviously if the doctors don't let me, I'm not going to be able to do that."

In the national championship game, McCoy suffered a pinched nerve that caused his arm to go limp. He was replaced by freshman Garrett Gilbert and the Longhorns valiantly tried to rally but fell short in a 37-21 loss to the Crimson Tide.

McCoy is the sixth Big 12 quarterback to win the O'Brien Award since 2001. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford won the award last year. Ironically, Bradford's 2009 season was ruined by injuries to his right shoulder. Bradford tried to boost his friends' spirits after the national championship game injury.

"He definitely boosted me up a little bit, talked to me and said, 'Hey, it's one of the most frustrating things in the world. You're strong and you'll get over it,'" McCoy said. "It kind of stinks that both of us had to go through something like that in the same year. We both try to look for the positive things, and both hope the best for each other."

McCoy said he learned early in his Texas career to "grow a thick skin" and that ability to shrug off criticism is serving him well as NFL Draft experts who question his ability to transfer from a spread offense, his deep passing ability and his size. McCoy was listed as 6-foot-3 at Texas but scouts believe he'll check in closer to 6-foot.

"There aren't a lot of positives in the NFL Draft process," McCoy said. "It's nothing I haven't been through before.

"But how my career ended and the fact I'm being doubted has lit a fire in me. I can't wait to get back out on the field."

In some circles, McCoy is being compared with New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl winner Drew Brees. Brees received only two Division I-A scholarship offers when he left Austin (Texas) Westlake High School and had to survive the Doubting Thomases of the NFL world.

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, who was honored with the O'Brien Legends Award, was asked about McCoy's NFL chances.

"I think the Brees comparison is pretty good," said Fouts, a third-round pick who became a Hall of Famer. "The most difficult thing in the NFL is to be a No. 1 pick. Because of the money invested, you have to play. (McCoy's) got character. And sometimes it's nice to play with a chip on your shoulder."

Especially when it's healthy.