Should The Houston Texans Draft Bryce Petty
By Randy Gurzi
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty had a solid collegiate career, but figuring out his NFL draft stock seems to be a very tricky thing. Some sites have him pegged as a mid-late round talent, while others having him going closer to round three.
“Can he perform under center after operating exclusively in the shotgun the past few years?”
One thing for sure is as the hype gets built around a quarterback coming into the NFL, their draft stock will rise. Petty seems to be fitting that bill as of late, and after a successful pro day showing last Wednesday the question of whether or not he would be a first round pick was raised.
ESPN’s Travis Haney covered the event and said that the 6’3″ 230 pound Texas native looked sharp, as to be expected when throwing with no defenders. On the day Petty only had two misfires and all other incompletions were dropped passes. Petty made it clear that he cares about where he is drafted, showing more fire than the laid back Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the presumed second quarterback coming off the board.
"“I don’t think too many guys grow up saying they want to go in the second round” Petty said in the ESPN piece."
While Petty did take the time to speak with both the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans, there are still questions about how he will fit at the next level.
"“On the NFL end, however, questions still remain: Is Petty, who threw for a ridiculous 8,055 yards and 61 touchdowns as a two-year starter, merely a product of Baylor’s offensive system? Can he perform under center after operating exclusively in the shotgun the past few years?” – Haney"
Teams are wary of a player who comes from a system that produces so much offense regardless of the quarterback. Robert Griffin III was a star coming out of Baylor and has been benched more than once in his young career with the Washington Redskins.
Texas A&M had a polarizing passer as well in Johnny Manziel, who has been nothing short of horrendous for the Cleveland Browns.
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Those who follow Petty however seem to think he is different. John Harris of the Houston Texans website states that Petty has the tools of a leader. Harris claims those attributes are even more important than the velocity and touch he showed while throwing the football.
So the question becomes whether or not the Texans would take the young quarterback. Petty surely seems to have all the tools, but I am not sure he is worth a first round pick as he seems to be targeting. If the publicity for him continues to be strong, there is a good chance someone will reach for him early.
If the consensus is Petty has to be taken in round one, I personally would say the Texans should pass and press forward with the players they have. If Petty begins to slip to his original projections of round three or later, I would say the Texans should nab him.
What do the fans say? Answer the poll below if you want to see your Houston Texans draft Bryce Petty in the 2015 NFL draft.