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MOBILE, Ala. — Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty senses a void.
Many people are calling the 2015 NFL draft class a two-horse race — Florida State's Jameis Winston and* Oregon's Marcus Mariota, with the rest of the field way behind. The way Petty sees it, this is his opportunity to be right in the Winston-Mariota discussion.
"If they're one and two in the class, that's who I want to be with," Petty said.
If the first day of practice was any indication, though, Petty has work to do. One practice session with the North team, coached by the Tennessee Titans, is hardly enough evidence for what kind of quarterback he'll be in the NFL. After all, Russell Wilson notoriously struggled in Mobile, but — reminder — he'll be going for his second straight Super Bowl title in less than two weeks.
Petty might be the best-known name at the Senior Bowl this week, and he appears to have benefitted from Mariota and UCLA's Brett Hundley passing on the event. The remainder of the quarterbacks here either didn't match Petty's gaudy statistics or come from smaller programs. This is his chance to step out and step up in the class.
Still, Petty labored through practice and was not happy on the field with his performance. He received the first crack for reps and started slowly, skipping one throw too low and dropping the center exchange. That was followed by an overthrow to Nebrasks running back Ameer Abdullah in the flat and a double-clutch throw to Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack that indicated some doubt and hesitation.
Petty cranked it up through the middle portion of practice, hitting Delaware tight end Nick Boyle on a nice crossing route and finding former Bears teammate and receiver Antwan Goodley — it was a wobbler, but, like a Peyton Manning pass, it got where it needed to get — on a flag route. But even with that little hot streak, it was followed by an overthrow and another bounced pass, late on some passes and early on others.
"You have to have fun out there," Petty said of his struggles. "I just need to keep my head up. I know I am going to make a mistake here and there, but there's also a short timetable here, so [Wednesday] I need to pick it up.
"I am a perfectionist, though, so I always try to do as well as i can."
Defenders who have faced Petty say he's legit.
"He's a competitor, and they scored a lot of points in a short amount of time," said Michigan State safety Kurtis Drummond, who faced Petty in the final game of both of their careers at the Cotton Bowl. "We just tried to slow them down as best we could, but he made a lot of plays."
In that game, Petty completed 36 of 51 passes for 550 yards with three touchdowns and an interception; he also ran for one score. The Bears led 41-21 in the fourth quarter but fell 42-41 in a miraculous Spartans comeback.
Goodley shot a few eye daggers when asked about that game but turned to smiles when asked about Petty. Together they connected for more than 2,000 yards and nearly 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.
"We came in together, redshirted together and worked our way up together," Goodley told Shutdown Corner. "We were always working on little things, and Bryce for sure has what it takes to play on the highest level. He's a great athlete and a great quarterback."
No kidding about the athlete part. Petty strutted across the Mobile Convention Center stage Tuesday morning for the Senior Bowl weigh-in at a rocked-up 230 pounds on his 6-2 3/4 frame. Petty reportedly can*vertical jump 38 inches, broad jump nearly 10 1/2 feet, squat more than 500 pounds and can run somewhere in the 4.6 range in the 40-yard dash.*He also came back quickly from a transverse process injury in his back, missing one game, which showed his toughness and ability to heal quickly.
Petty, who turns 24 after the draft, admits he has spent a lot of time investing in Baylor's renowned weight-training program but underscores it next to his ability to quarterback.*
"It's important to be in great shape and add a dimension to my game with my athleticism; I can run it a little," Petty said. "But I want to show I can read defenses, go through progressions and do everything in a pro-style offense. That's what's most important."
Petty has been working with noted QB guru George Whitfield in San Diego for the past few weeks, taking drops from center, running five- and seven-step drops and changing his eye level after coming up in Baylor's spread, predominantly shotgun-based offense.
"We started Jan. 6 and didn't waste any time," Petty said. "We knew where I had to be here. We've been doing nothing but drop work, getting the footwork down and trying to get as prepared as I can."
Winston and Mariota are going to be out in San Diego with Petty, so he knows what he's up against.
"I'll get to see what they are doing every day," Petty said. "Their strengths are my weaknesses; my strengths are their weaknesses, and so on. We'll get to work together and test ourselves against each other.
"I'm not afraid to compete," Petty continued. "I am not going to be perfect out here. I am going to have fun while I am out here, knowing there are a lot of people who don't get this opportunity. For me, I want to take advantage of that and work with people who will be playing on Sundays."
Many people are calling the 2015 NFL draft class a two-horse race — Florida State's Jameis Winston and* Oregon's Marcus Mariota, with the rest of the field way behind. The way Petty sees it, this is his opportunity to be right in the Winston-Mariota discussion.
"If they're one and two in the class, that's who I want to be with," Petty said.
If the first day of practice was any indication, though, Petty has work to do. One practice session with the North team, coached by the Tennessee Titans, is hardly enough evidence for what kind of quarterback he'll be in the NFL. After all, Russell Wilson notoriously struggled in Mobile, but — reminder — he'll be going for his second straight Super Bowl title in less than two weeks.
Petty might be the best-known name at the Senior Bowl this week, and he appears to have benefitted from Mariota and UCLA's Brett Hundley passing on the event. The remainder of the quarterbacks here either didn't match Petty's gaudy statistics or come from smaller programs. This is his chance to step out and step up in the class.
Still, Petty labored through practice and was not happy on the field with his performance. He received the first crack for reps and started slowly, skipping one throw too low and dropping the center exchange. That was followed by an overthrow to Nebrasks running back Ameer Abdullah in the flat and a double-clutch throw to Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack that indicated some doubt and hesitation.
Petty cranked it up through the middle portion of practice, hitting Delaware tight end Nick Boyle on a nice crossing route and finding former Bears teammate and receiver Antwan Goodley — it was a wobbler, but, like a Peyton Manning pass, it got where it needed to get — on a flag route. But even with that little hot streak, it was followed by an overthrow and another bounced pass, late on some passes and early on others.
"You have to have fun out there," Petty said of his struggles. "I just need to keep my head up. I know I am going to make a mistake here and there, but there's also a short timetable here, so [Wednesday] I need to pick it up.
"I am a perfectionist, though, so I always try to do as well as i can."
Defenders who have faced Petty say he's legit.
"He's a competitor, and they scored a lot of points in a short amount of time," said Michigan State safety Kurtis Drummond, who faced Petty in the final game of both of their careers at the Cotton Bowl. "We just tried to slow them down as best we could, but he made a lot of plays."
In that game, Petty completed 36 of 51 passes for 550 yards with three touchdowns and an interception; he also ran for one score. The Bears led 41-21 in the fourth quarter but fell 42-41 in a miraculous Spartans comeback.
Goodley shot a few eye daggers when asked about that game but turned to smiles when asked about Petty. Together they connected for more than 2,000 yards and nearly 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.
"We came in together, redshirted together and worked our way up together," Goodley told Shutdown Corner. "We were always working on little things, and Bryce for sure has what it takes to play on the highest level. He's a great athlete and a great quarterback."
Petty, who turns 24 after the draft, admits he has spent a lot of time investing in Baylor's renowned weight-training program but underscores it next to his ability to quarterback.*
"It's important to be in great shape and add a dimension to my game with my athleticism; I can run it a little," Petty said. "But I want to show I can read defenses, go through progressions and do everything in a pro-style offense. That's what's most important."
Petty has been working with noted QB guru George Whitfield in San Diego for the past few weeks, taking drops from center, running five- and seven-step drops and changing his eye level after coming up in Baylor's spread, predominantly shotgun-based offense.
"We started Jan. 6 and didn't waste any time," Petty said. "We knew where I had to be here. We've been doing nothing but drop work, getting the footwork down and trying to get as prepared as I can."
Winston and Mariota are going to be out in San Diego with Petty, so he knows what he's up against.
"I'll get to see what they are doing every day," Petty said. "Their strengths are my weaknesses; my strengths are their weaknesses, and so on. We'll get to work together and test ourselves against each other.
"I'm not afraid to compete," Petty continued. "I am not going to be perfect out here. I am going to have fun while I am out here, knowing there are a lot of people who don't get this opportunity. For me, I want to take advantage of that and work with people who will be playing on Sundays."
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm