The Senior Bowl has become one of the most important pieces in the NFL off-season for evaluators, as the event is phenomenally run, has unquestionably the best collection of senior talent in the country and gives scouts (and media members) ideal access to potential draft picks.
In each of the last four drafts, at least two Senior Bowl quarterbacks have been taken in the top-three rounds of the draft. Six are current starters and another, Jimmy Garoppolo, is being groomed as a “quarterback of the future”.
With invites sent out and confirmed attendees soon to follow (some announcements already made), it’s not too early to consider which quarterbacks will make up this year’s Senior Bowl class. And, uniquely enough, the two best passers may not be the “seniors” the game is used to.
Why Juniors Can Play in the Senior Bowl
Two years ago, Senior Bowl director Phil Savage allowed Washington running back Chris Polk, considered a junior by the team, to participate in the Senior Bowl because he never officially applied for a medical redshirt that the team assumed he received, and he had graduated from the school.
Last year, the game allowed Adrian Hubbard, DJ Fluker and Justin Pugh to play as well, as they had completed four years of school and graduated before the event took place.
This precedent has opened the Senior Bowl up to more potential candidates than ever before. The game’s growth and clear value to it’s participants in the draft process, it’s almost an extra incentive for certain players (especially quarterbacks) to exhaust their eligibility and play in the Senior Bowl, rather than declare as a junior.
Expected Invites: Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley, Dak Prescott/
In such a weak senior quarterback class, NFL teams will be relying on the junior class to make the position worthwhile to consider in the 2015 draft. And three of the top underclassmen are eligible and should be expected to receive invites to the Senior Bowl.
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota has already graduated from Oregon, and he’s clearly on the Senior Bowl’s invite list. However, based on the recent history of top quarterbacks opting not to participate, it’s unlikely that a projected top-five pick would play in the game. However, I can’t imagine his attendance actually hurting his value with teams.
UCLA’s Brett Hundley hasn’t emerged as the top-flight passer many expected after his breakout 2012 season, but he’s certainly displayed the arm talent, athleticism and flashes of a complete repertoire of throws that could fit all NFL offenses. While he’s no longer viewed as a first-round option at this point, I certainly haven’t disbanded the idea of Hundley being a developmental NFL starter, and could be viewed similarly to Logan Thomas in last year’s draft, with lesser inconsistency issues and more NFL readiness. He would be very wise to wow in Mobile compared to his likely competition at the event.
Finally, Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, the Heisman favorite, is eligible, and could give himself the ultimate stage to prove he’s more than a Tebow-like system passer who’s a run-first quarterback. His college offense limitations, lack of NFL-level pocket presence and concerns about his progressions and ball placement likely will turn off many teams after the season. He’ll need ample work before team’s will consider him in the first three rounds, but that could come from an NFL-prepping off-season easier than another year at Mississippi State. Getting the opportunity to win over teams, on and off the field, at the Senior Bowl could allow him to both capitalize on his fantastic 2014 campaign as well as continue to build NFL interest.
Projecting the Rest of the Group
If we assume that none of the juniors discussed decide it’s worth it to attend (which would be a mistake, with Mariota being a possible exception), finding six worth passers isn’t an easy task. In what is maybe the worst senior quarterback class of the past few years, the Senior Bowl may be forced to invite passers that may fight for a draft selection.
That being said, here’s my projected “ranking” of the Senior Bowl’s quarterback potential invite order.
- Shane Carden, East Carolina
- Bryce Petty, Baylor
- Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
- Sean Mannion, Oregon State
- Brandon Bridge, South Alabama
- Garrett Grayson, Colorado State/Bryan Bennett, Southeast Louisiana
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