Measurables
School: Tulane Green Wave
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 220 lbs.
2024 NFL Draft: Michael Pratt Scouting Report
Micahel Pratt was a 3-star recruit from Deerfield Beach High School in Florida. He originally started his high school career at Boca Raton High School transferring to Deerfield Beach High before his senior year. At Deerfield Beach, his numbers and performance would be enough to get an offer from Tulane, where he would commit and spend every season of his college career playing.
When Pratt joined Tulane, the football team was not performing well. They had only managed to win seven games and had a mediocre ranking in the American Athletic Conference. Head Coach Willie Fritz had high hopes of turning Tulane into a conference title contender and had been working relentlessly towards that goal. Pratt, who was a true freshman at that time, eventually became the starting quarterback a few games into the season. Although he put up decent numbers, they were not remarkable. However, he did enough to gain the confidence of Fritz and continued to start every game throughout his sophomore year. Unfortunately, Tulane only managed to win two games during Pratt’s sophomore year, and things were looking increasingly challenging for the team.
In 2022, Pratt demonstrated the highest potential of his career by leading his team to an epic turnaround from 2-10 to 12-2. They even won the 2022 Cotton Bowl against USC. During that season, Pratt threw for 3009 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. His passer rating was an outstanding 161.2, which caught the attention of the NFL due to his consistent improvement. Although Pratt showed improvement in skill and play in his senior season, his numbers didn’t reflect that, and he took a step back statistically. Following the season, he declared for the NFL draft, and he has been invited to the Senior Bowl to help raise his draft stock.
Strengths:
- Possesses everything you look for in an ideal pocket passer including his frame and size
- Has the ability to make tight-window throws hitting consistent passes in short to intermediate-range
- Has good anticipation when waiting on receivers to break on routes hitting them in stride
- Showed good discipline throughout his college career never having more than 8 interceptions in a season
- Shows some decent athletic upside being able to move effectively out of the pocket
- Great eye manipulation ability baiting defensive backs into leaving their zone
- Arm elasticity is one of the top in the class being able to maintain velocity even off-platform
- He shows elite throwing mechanics and fluidity which needs very few tweaks
- Shows great field recognition being able to get the ball to the open guys and play outside of his initial hot route
Weaknesses
- Lacks elite arm strength and will need work if he wants to be able to connect on a deep ball at the next level
- Needs to get the ball out quicker as he has a delayed release because of his windup
- Stiffness in hip torque
- Winding release helps velocity but messes up his ball placement when throwing outside the numbers deep
- Often caught flat-footed when blitzed
- Lacks the elite athleticism to remain a consistent rusher at the NFL level
- Will consistently over-extend on deep throws causing more accuracy issues
Projected draft position: Late day two
Player Comparison: Brock Purdy
Teams Interested: Vikings, Broncos, Seahawks
Michael Pratt Profile Review
Michael Pratt could be the next NFL quarterback who goes unnoticed but proves to be a valuable project QB. He possesses all the physical traits of an ideal pocket passer with a good frame. He excels at managing the field, playing a clean game, and hitting on short to intermediate throws. Although he doesn’t have any qualities that will pop off the screen, it’s not his style of play. He relies on finding the open man and getting yards after catch.
He has excellent fluidity and mechanics, which make him accurate in everything except throwing deep passes. This is where the issue lies, as he struggles to get the ball to his receiver in stride upfield. His below-average physical abilities might bring down his stock since the NFL demands elite quarterback performance, and the game has shifted towards needing more athleticism at the position.
Pratt is expected to be a game manager who relies on the talent around him to be successful. If he is not in a favorable situation, he may need a couple of years to develop his ability to extend the field with his arm. However, his ability to lead a team and play with a high level of football IQ will help him get picked up by teams, even if it’s as a career backup. Pratt is the type of player who could become a coach once his NFL career is over. The best-case scenario for him is to land in a team that surrounds him with talent, and he can sit behind a veteran quarterback for a year. Pratt should be a late day-two pick, and if he falls into day three, he could be the steal of the draft.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
