MOBILE, Ala. — Since 2005, nine quarterbacks have attended the Senior Bowl and gone on to be first-round picks. Joe Flacco, EJ Manuel and Carson Wentz, for example, can trace their NFL draft process rises directly to Mobile, Ala. Even recent second-rounders like Jimmy Garappolo and Derek Carr earned their attention after strong weeks of practice at the Senior Bowl.
In 2017, given one of the weakest senior quarterback classes in recent history, NFL teams came to Mobile pessimistic about the position but hopeful one prospect would emerge. Pittsburgh’s Nathan Peterman has done just that.
MORE: Players to watch at 2017 Senior Bowl
The Tennessee transfer generated some NFL buzz at Pitt this year, especially after the team’s upset victory over Clemson, in which Peterman threw five touchdown passes.
"My worst game this year I felt was against Miami," he said. "We really didn’t play up to our potential. But that Clemson game is the one the scouts always bring up to me. It was a great win for us and showed how we could bounce back."
Peterman is a prepared interviewer who speaks the part of an NFL quarterback. He says just enough to be genuine but not too much to open the door for other questions, taking a page out of Wentz’s playbook from a year ago.
At the Senior Bowl, quarterbacks are taken out of their college comfort zones and forced to work with new receivers in new offenses. It's a high-stress situation with 200-plus evaluators watching every move.
On the field, Peterman has looked solid. His passes tend to flutter a bit as he works downfield, and his good (not great) arm talent can lead to his passes being just strong enough to finish on the perimeter. He has shown quick feet in his drops and outstanding velocity control, two aspects that shouldn’t come as a surprise to evaluators.
But based on Senior Bowl practice film of the first two days, Peterman’s performance has made him look even better than advertised. Through two days, combining his work in seven-on-seven drills (of which there are no lineman involved) and full team drills, Peterman has gone 16 of 19 with one throwaway, and 2 of 3 on passes 15 or more yards.
More impressive, Peterman has made ideal play progressions and decisions on 17 of 19 throws, with just one truly incorrect read. Keep in mind this is Peterman's first time in the Bears' offense with entirely new receivers. Showcasing poise in reading the field and timing with receivers are the toughest hurdles for quarterback prospects in an all-star game setting.
To put it in perspective, those numbers are on par with past Senior Bowl standouts Russell Wilson and Derek Carr, who I have charted using the same process.
MORE: Mock Draft 2017
By comparison, Peterman's North roster quarterback competitor, Iowa’s CJ Beathard, was just 9 for 16 (with three receiver drops) but with four incorrect progressions. Beathard has looked noticeably less confident and poised in his read progressions and far less ready for the NFL.
Sometimes in the draft process, one interview, one note or one play can be an incitement of a player’s NFL excitement or pessimism. In speaking with scouts and reflecting on film, Peterman had that moment on Day 2.
On the second throw of team drills, Peterman took a five-step drop, looked off the left side safety and placed a pass over the linebacker before the safety could break on Florida International tight end Jonnu Smith — a perfectly thrown 10-yard out pattern. His quick drop, timing of his decision, velocity control to work between defensive gaps and ball placement along the sideline wowed scouts in the moment and on reflection, and the attributes likely will continue to wow for months to come.
Peterman likely won’t be a first-round pick, but he's difficult to project given Carson Wentz’s meteoric rise during last year’s draft process. Peterman’s value likely is more as a third- or fourth-round pick, and his most apt comparison may be Kirk Cousins, who lasted until the fourth round in the 2012 draft.
With six juniors declared for the 2017 NFL Draft, the most in NFL history, and with no other senior quarterbacks rising to the occasion, the class truly is wide open. Peterman won’t overtake North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer or Clemson’s Deshaun Watson anytime soon, but he can give teams a secondary option to those talented-but-far-from-perfect prospects.
MORE: Is Watson football's Michael Jordan?
Peterman has used the Senior Bowl for its ideal purpose. He has lived up to and built up his buzz. He has won over NFL teams in the interview process with his demeanor throughout the week. He has proven himself as a pro-ready quarterback.
He doesn’t have highly impressive arm talent, and his college film doesn’t scream top-three round pick. But after a historically notable week of practice in terms of composure, accuracy and play progressions, Peterman has made good on his Senior Bowl hype.