NFL Draft Hot Takes: Baylor QB Bryce Petty

One position that no one can really seem to agree on in the 2015 NFL Draft is at quarterback. Some love Jameis Winston, some prefer Marcus Mariota. Some people — heaven forbid — think both can do really well in the NFL.

In case you hadn’t heard, there are also other quarterbacks in this draft, though the class as a whole leaves plenty to be desired. Some feel the third best quarterback in the draft is UCLA’s Brett Hundley, who’s been widely scrutinized and would be a phenomenal subject for these posts.

Others believe the third best QB in this draft and possibly eventually the best is Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson, who doesn’t really have that many big holes in his game, he is just not ‘elite’ in any area.

The other group out there feels like Baylor’s Bryce Petty — the subject of our talk today — is the third best QB in this draft, and might even have a chance to be picked in the first round**.

**Note: any mention of a QB besides Mariota or Winston going in the first round could possibly result in a mass reputation demolition, courtesy of Draft Twitter.

But here, it’s our responsibility to tell it to you straight. To give you the hottest takes we can, because that’s what we do. Let’s dive into a four course meal of Bryce Petty hot takes, and try to discover just what we’re getting from this young man as he pursues a career in the NFL.

Measurables

In terms of the look you want a quarterback to have, Petty has it. He’s the prototypical size at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He runs pretty well with a sub-4.9 second 40-yard dash. He has large, 10-inch hands and was among the top performers at the quarterback position at the Scouting Combine in the vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, and the 20-yard shuttle.

Because of the style of offense that Baylor runs, where Petty is looking over to the sidelines for play calls, he’s going to need a redshirt year in the NFL to learn an offense. He’s also going to need time to learn to adjust to a much different tempo of offense, and I think he’s going to need time to strengthen his back, which seemed like a problem in 2014.

I thought Petty made some nice progression from 2013 to 2014, but the back injury he sustained and was battling through seemed to bother him much more than he or anyone else let on. That resulted in Baylor doing a lot more in the short area passing game, which has caused this group-think that all Petty can do is throw screens or intermediate routes.

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Maybe I’m making an excuse for him because I like what he brings to the table, but maybe it’s a legitimate issue. If his back were healthy, I think we would have seen Petty doing a lot more slinging the ball around the field. As we currently stand, I see Petty as a top five quarterback in this class. I don’t know how much to differentiate between he, Garrett Grayson, and Brett Hundley at this point because I don’t know what his back health is going to be long-term, but I like his skills and what he brings to the table as a leader of a team.

We all know Petty has the arm strength to make all the NFL throws. We all know he has the athletic ability to make things happen outside the pocket. What we don’t know — at all — is how he will transition to being under center. Calling a huddle. Taking five or seven step drops consistently. Those are all things he’s going to have to work on, and probably for an entire season.

But this is a player that can be really good, which is why there are still people talking about him as a possible first round pick, even though his value is much better in the third or fourth round where you can afford to address other needs before taking a ‘project’ player like this.

Here’s what one of my personal favorites Lance Zierlein had to say about Petty:

“NFL evaluators felt like Petty’s senior season was disappointing, but those same evaluators love his size, leadership and intangibles. He needs a year or two of practice time and camp work to learn how to get through his progressions, but has the intelligence to do that. Petty flashed plenty of arm strength at the NFL Scouting Combine and as the draft draws closer, teams might very well begin to conceptualize Petty fitting into their offense as a potential starter of the future.”

Here’s what our awesome staff here at NFL Mocks had to say about Petty:

Nate Williams: “There is little to no doubt that Bryce Petty is the fourth best QB in the 2015 draft class and is certainly a project quarterback. He is not ready to step in and play, and will need time, patience and coaching to make the proper adjustments to the NFL game. With that said, he has fairly good mechanics, a strong-arm and a quick release along with good ball placement and accuracy on short to intermediate throws. With a few years of coaching and guidance I think he could definitely be a starter in the National Football League.”

Joe Wedra: “I’ve finalized my opinion that there are only three QBs in this draft who are worth spending a valuable pick on — Bryce Petty is not one of them. After watching as much tape available on the Baylor signal-caller, I’m not convinced. Simply put: once you put all the pieces together, he’s too much of a project to take before the 5th round. After that, he’s probably one of the top guys off the board.”

Jan 1, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Bryce Petty (14) against the Central Florida Knights during the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Central Florida defeated Baylor 52-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Morales: “I’ve been struggling to figure out my opinion on Bryce Petty… After scouting him I realized he’s a project QB who needs to be behind a successful veteran to succeed. One day maybe I think Bryce Petty could start but as of now don’t draft him for immediate impact. He’s more of a wait and see type of QB.”

Charles McDonald: “Before even diving into the film on Bryce Petty, you have to understand this is a 24-year-old quarterback with back issues. That’s already going to hinder whatever his ceiling was for the future. He’s got some tools, he’s not a bad athlete (he made Paul Dawson look absolutely silly) and he’s got a decently strong-arm. However, his intermediate accuracy, deep accuracy, and footwork all leave a lot to be desired. While these problems are fixable in due time the question has to be asked: how much time are you willing to spend on an older quarterback prospect who has back issues?”

Jonah Tuls: “Bryce Petty has some physical tools that are unteachable like arm strength and athleticism, but his accuracy issues really worry me. More with deep accuracy than anything. I think with time, he can be a low-end starting QB in the NFL, but at this point at 24 years of age, he is a backup, developmental quarterback who needs some reps in an NFL environment.”

Will Stevenson: “Not a fan of Petty, havent watched that much of his cut ups but did get to watch him live a few times. Not impressed in the slightest, inaccurate not very poised etc. I guess he’s toolsy but not enough so that id draft him in the second or even the third. I could be wrong but I don’t think I am.”

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As you can imagine, the opinions are largely split on Petty. He’s a tough player to peg because he’s not coming into the NFL ready to start in an NFL offense, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s destined to fail. I think the road ahead is going to be tough for Petty, but if he goes to a team that is willing to be patient with him, he can succeed in the NFL with his physical tools and arm talent.

At this point, the safe spot to take Petty would be in the late day two, early day three range. Some team could easily fall in love with him and make him the third or fourth QB selected in this draft.

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