The biggest headline in the 2015 NFL Draft is that there are only two quarterbacks: Winston and Mariota. While both of those signal callers will get selected within the first ten picks, there are other 
quarterbacks that might become starters in time. One of those is Baylor’s Bryce Petty, who I got to see up close at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this winter. To get a better idea of what skills and attributes he brings to the NFL, I watched seven of his 2014 games against SMU, Buffalo, Kansas State, West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Here is what I saw:
QB Bryce Petty, Baylor, 6’ 3” 230 lbs.
Cons: The first thing I look at is a quarterback’s feet when he is getting ready to throw the ball. Petty can have a strong base at times, but then also shuffles his feet a lot under pressure. When he takes the time to set his feet, the signal caller is a lot more accurate, but unfortunately he does this when not under pressure by lesser opponents. Baylor plays out of the shotgun, almost exclusively, and Petty did not look very comfortable taking snaps from center in Mobile. In the NFL, shotgun is not the look most offensive coordinators want to be pigeon-holed into. The quarterback shows the tendency to know where he is going with the ball before he receives the snap. With disguised coverages and schemes he will face at the next level, Petty will need to adjust on the fly and be able to go thru his progressions or cause a preponderance of negative plays.
While the quarterback has good arm strength, he lacks the touch to control it. He puts a bit too much zip on the ball, especially those throws within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. Petty also seems to lob a lot of his passes forcing his receivers to run underneath them. Timing is one thing, but letting the pigskin hang too long in the air is another. NFL caliber defensive backs will steal the ball away if he continues to toss those rainbows. The signal caller makes his receivers do a lot of work adjusting to poorly throw passes, especially when he is under duress. Petty needs to step up in the pocket more often when being blitzed.
Pros: The young quarterback tries to make quick reads and gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He is good at pump faking and can pull the ball from the belly of the back to take off running after reading what the backside defensive end does. This skill makes him intriguing for the Eagles offense or similar systems. Petty is most effective bootlegging to cut the field in half as this clears a passing lane for him. He is very athletic, using spin moves like a running back, and gets low as a runner in goal line/short yardage situations.
Petty has good arm strength and is willing to throw into double coverage. His accuracy lessens as the passes get deeper, but is quite dangerous when he can hit a receiver in stride. While his passes are not easily caught by his players, they are even more difficult to get for the defense playing him, unless he lobs the ball.
Overall thoughts: Petty screams system quarterback, who could be good for Chip Kelly or one of his disciples. If he doesn’t land in a favorable system, the signal caller probably will be a decent backup quarterback. He reminds me a bit of former Raider/Texan/Falcon and now Raven Matt Schaub who looked good in spurts, but needed to be protected by his offensive coordinator.
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