Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty burst onto the national stage in 2013 when he led his side to a Fiesta Bowl appearance. From now until the 2015 NFL Draft he will be regarded as a top-tier talent, but what must he do to take the next step?
The long and short of it is Petty must repeat his junior season. Professional clubs are weary of one-year-wonders and, if the Bear is to be selected at the top of the first round, he must display production and consistency over multiple seasons while continuing to develop the skills he already possesses. Of course, there are exceptions but those anomalies are either studs or reaches.
Petty’s junior year and his first as a starter was exceptional. Baylor won eleven games and came up just ten points short of winning the Fiesta Bowl. The six-foot-three quarterback did not have his best game but he still accounted for over 350 passing yards and five touchdowns (three came on the ground).
The 230-pound gunslinger was not heavily recruited out of high school but Art Briles saw something and reached out. 4,200 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and three interceptions later and Briles’ faith has been rewarded.
Where Petty excels is ball placement. Baylor’s highly potent offense is made up of quick, speedy, home-run threats who need the ball in stride to maximise the gains on any given play. Furthermore, he currently possesses the best deep ball of any potential 2015 draft eligible quarterbacks – It’s a thing of beauty.
Heading into his second year, the Texas-born quarterback will be without running back Lache Seastrunk and wide receiver Telvin Reese although wide-out Antwan Goodley does return. How will Petty react to changes in his offense? Will he be able to form quick bonds with new, and possibly less skilled, players around him? All second-year starters face these questions but rarely do they come on the back of such a successful first season.
Baylor’s 2014 schedule is somewhat tougher than 2013 with Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all on the line-up. Nevertheless, it gives us a number of mouth-watering match-ups and plenty of good film for us to pore over next spring.
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