Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 202 pounds
School: Michigan Wolverines
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.71 seconds
Vertical jump: 31 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 8 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.14 seconds (tied for fifth-best among quarterbacks)
20-yard shuttle: 4.50 seconds
Shea Patterson 2020 NFL Draft Profile
There are a great deal of paths that a player can take to reach the NFL, and some are more conventional and straightforward than others. Shea Patterson‘s path falls into the unconventional category.
Patterson was an incredible player in high school, verbally committing to the University of Arizona after his freshman year of high school. However before his senior year of high school, he decommitted from Arizona before committing to Ole Miss. By the end of his high school career Shea Patterson was a five star recruit by recruiting services Scout and Rivals and ranked as one of the best players in his class by several other major recruiting outlets, including ESPN.
But his college career was a roller coaster coaster to say the least. After a red shirt year and knee injury the following season, Patterson announced he would be transferring. Patterson finished out his remaining two years of eligibility at the University of Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. Patterson was up and down during his time as a Wolverine, but, for the most part, he finished strong. He was a big part of Michigan almost completing a massive road comeback against Penn State in 2019, and Patterson helped take down rival Notre Dame, throwing for two touchdowns in that game. Patterson rounded out his college career with a blowout loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Strengths
- Elite athlete
- Can throw well on the move
- Is able to extend plays with his feet
- Showed flashes of being effective with RPO’s
- Arm strength
- Durable (Didn’t miss a start in his last two seasons)
Weaknesses
- Often struggles with accuracy
- Tends to panic when pressured which leads to bad decisions
- A little bit undersized for the position
- Pocket awareness could improve
NFL Comparison: Baker Mayfield
Teams With Need at the Position: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: Late fifth round
Bottom Line
The road that Shea Patterson has taken to get to the NFL draft has certainly been a long and winding one. Despite the indirect path he’s taken he has still given himself an excellent chance to hear his name called on draft night. Patterson completed 56% of his passes in 2019 and threw for 23 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. In addition to production, Patterson proved his durability over the last two seasons after losing half of his sophomore campaign to a knee injury, starting in all 26 of his games at Michigan over two seasons.
As for what’s ahead for Patterson, it’ll be a grind to stick in the NFL. At just 6’2″ he’s undersized for his position, and as previously mentioned, accuracy issues have plagued him in the past. In addition, he has proven to be jumpy in the pocket. Too often Patterson bailed out and tried to improvise with his legs. Many times that led to bad throws. If he is going to succeed in the NFL he will need to improve his composure in the pocket. With that being said his legs will also get him some opportunities at the next level. Although Patterson is by no means ready to take the reigns of an NFL franchise in 2020, he could certainly be used as a backup and in some multiple quarterback sets, similar to what the Ravens did with their “Heisman Package” that featured both Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III.
Overall, Shea Patterson is a middle of the road quarterback prospect. In the right situation he could develop into a good backup. The jury is still out on if he can become a regular starter, but it isn’t out of the equation. Patterson will likely hear his name called on the second or third day of the draft and begin a grind to stick on a roster.
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