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Outside of the top two, can anyone in this QB draft class succeed?

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

INDIANAPOLIS – Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty had a blast at the Senior Bowl.

He enjoyed getting out and competing, being around fellow draft prospects, and it was a real treat getting to call a play for the first time.

Yep, even with 845 passing attempts over four years at Baylor, he hadn’t called a play. And you wonder why it’s harder for teams to evaluate quarterbacks coming out of college, with so many teams running the no-huddle spread attack.

“We were a signal system at Baylor,” Petty said. “I love Baylor. I wouldn’t change it for the world. If I had to go back and do it all again, I’d do it the same exact way.

“It’s a learning curve a little bit going from what we were doing at Baylor to where we are now. But it’s all part of the process, so you’ve got to enjoy it.”

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are the top two quarterbacks in this class (and Mariota has his own spread offense stigmas; he said he hasn’t called a play since high school and when asked what his biggest NFL challenge will be his serious answer was, “For us, it’s going to be huddling”). Then there’s a significant drop to No. 3.

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UCLA’s Brett Hundley is considered the third best quarterback in the class. Petty is in the mix for No. 4, along with Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson, but neither looked great at the Senior Bowl. Maybe Hundley sneaks into the end of the first round, but that would be a bit of a surprise.

So it’s not a good class, but there’s another thing that has been clear during the combine: There are a lot of teams with quarterback issues.

Many of the general managers and coaches who have spoken at the combine have fielded questions about their unsettled quarterback situations. The Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and many other teams came to the combine with varying levels of uncertainty at quarterback. Even if teams aren’t in love with this quarterback draft class, they need someone to play and there won’t be much available in free agency.

The quarterbacks outside of the top two, predictably, don’t share the assessment that this is not a strong quarterback class.

“We’re going to have to prove them wrong, too,” Hundley said. “I think not only myself, but we’re all ready to show the nation that we’re better than maybe people think.”

There’s no sure thing, though. Petty has talent but played in an offense that won’t resemble what he’ll do in the pros, and it took him a couple days at the Senior Bowl to get comfortable taking snaps from under center because he didn't do that at Baylor either. Hundley had to answer questions about being a quarterback who makes one read and runs.

“If … I need (to be) in the pocket and make all the throws, then I will do that,” Hundley said. “In our offense, sometimes the situation dictated if I didn’t see something, I’m taking off running.”

This might not be the best year to be in the market to draft a quarterback, but there are plenty of teams who will be shopping out of necessity. Maybe Hundley, Petty, Grayson or someone else will be a good find for a team who takes a shot on them, but it seems like there will be some patience required as the quarterbacks get used to the pro game.

That will be a recurring theme for years to come as more college teams use spread, no-huddle offenses. It'll get harder and harder to find a quarterback who can run a pro-style offense.

"You’re evaluating a quarterback who has never called a play in the huddle, never used a snap count," Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. "They hold up a card on the sideline, he kicks his foot and throws the ball. That ain't playing quarterback. There’s no leadership involved there. Now, there might be leadership on the bench, but when you get them now and they have to use verbiage and they have to spit the verbiage out and use a snap count and change the snap count, they are light years behind. Light years behind."

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!