Today’s Senior Bowl game in Mobile, Alabama inaugurates the search for the elusive diamond in the rough, the next Johnny Unitas, the next great NFL quarterbacks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Unitas in the ninth round in 1955. . Or consider Brock Purdy, whom the 49ers selected with the last pick in the 2022 draft. People will always refer to Purdy as “Mr. Irrelevant,” despite his success to date. The quest for uncovering the next great National Football League (NFL) quarterback begins in earnest today.
The idiom “diamond in the rough” suggests one as having exceptional qualities or potential but lacking refinement or polish. The players in today’s football game all have game. They have all proven themselves on some stage or platform in college. Yet many of today’s players will be considered sleepers. Meanwhile, despite today’s platform they will remain unheralded and overlooked. The burden for football teams at the next level is to take a quarterback prospect and shape him into a system. To produce a gem has been elusive.
In researching this article, I was surprised to find that by the end of the 2023 season, there were 11 starting NFL quarterbacks were not taken in the 1st round of the draft. And almost all of these players will be supplanted by the next great hope this coming year. The pressure to find that diamond is vast.
Carousel of Starting NFL Quarterbacks
Jarrett Stidham Aidan ‘Connell, Bailey Zappe, Mason Rudolph, Desmond Ridder, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Geno Smith, Sam Howell. Some of these players became starters due to discontent with the original starters. Jarret Stidham took the field for a benched Russell Wilson while Bailey Zappe replaced Mac Jones. Others became NFL quarterbacks due to injuries. Aidan O’Connell replaced the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. O’Connell will now seek to become a starter next year. Quarterbacks playing in Indianapolis and Minnesota this past yeararen’t going to replace incumbents Anthony Richardson and Kirk Cousins.
Only in Dallas (Dak Prescott) and in San Fransico (Brock Purdy) is there content with the play of the quarterback. One can question the content of Jerry Jones in Dallas with his quarterback on any given day, Dallas being a land of constant turmoil and discontent.
Looking for the next Brock Purdy
Who will become the next Brock Purdy? Purdy completed 69.4% of his passes this year, for 4,280 yards, 31 TDs and 11 INTs. He had a passer rating of 113.0 as the 49ers won their division with a 12-5 record and will be playing in the Super Bowl next week. At 6’1” 220 pounds, and possessing neither great speed nor a great arm, Purdy has proven that there are intangibles to a successful quarterback that don’t immediately meet the eye.
After being just a 2-star high school prospect, Purdy capped off a stellar four-year college career at Iowa with a 72% completion rate, and 19 TD with only 8 INTs. Purdy’s prominence from seeming obscurity has helped to call into an NFL quarterback Evaluation checklist that does not seem to not be current nor relevant. He is the current litmus test of what a quarterback can or should be in the NFL.
Two players playing in today’s Senior Bowl that will be closely watched are Michael Pratt and Spencer Rattler as they seek to become NFl quarterbacks. Pratt was a 4-year starter at Tulane. At 6’2” and 220 pounds; the senior had 22 TD with just 5 INTs last year. Rattler, a two-year starter at South Carolina averaged 265 yards passing per game with 19 TDs and 8 INTs this past year. Both undersized quarterbacks completed 70% of their passes this past season. Both players figure to not be 1st round selections in the draft. Watching their play today will help judge if they could be the next Brock Purdy and where they might be drafted.
Barry Schustermann
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