Through two days of practice at the 2020 Senior Bowl, the quarterback group in Mobile is starting to solidify their standing, whether good or bad.
Despite not being able to have LSU QB Joe Burrow in Mobile, the trio of the South quarterbacks the Bengals have coached this week, as a whole, has been considerably better than the group that is leading the North team, coached by the Detroit Lions.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert has firmly established himself as the best signal-caller among the six at the showcase. He has been making strong throws all week and looks the most comfortable.
The Bengals also have had the second-best quarterback in Jalen Hurts from Oklahoma. Hurts hasn’t had the strongest of weeks as he is still adjusting to the true pro-style of the quarterback position. But he has had good moments and his upside and mobility will likely mean he doesn’t make it past Day 2, maybe even Round 2.
It hasn’t been all roses at the position for the Bengals. Colorado quarterback Steven Montez has severely struggled all week. It became a highlight just with him making a good read or an accurate throw. Montez is nothing more than a developmental quarterback at this stage and maybe arguably be the worst quarterback among the six here.
Overall, the three quarterbacks have been better than those the Lions have. Their trio of Utah State’s Jordan Love, Washington State’s Anthony Gordon and Michigan’s Shea Patterson, as a whole, have not matched up to the intensity of the South quarterbacks. It also doesn’t help that the Lions’ practices have been some of the most boring sessions we’ve seen in some time in Mobile, perhaps since 2017 when John Fox and the Chicago Bears were lulling observers to sleep.
Jordan Love has been the strongest quarterback of the three the Lions have but he has had an up-and-down week through two practices, making some throws but being off on others. That being said, there is a very noticeable gap between him and the other two and Love is still the third-best quarterback in Mobile and is likely still going to end up a Day 2 pick, at the latest.
Anthony Gordon is working on adjusting to the pro-style after working with Mike Leach and his offense. As many know, it is quite the challenge to go from the Mike Leach “Air Raid” offense to an NFL offense and taking snaps under center, which Gordon is also just getting accustomed to. Gordon is intriguing as a late draft pick, but he hasn’t shined in practices. Perhaps the game will be a different story on Saturday.
Then there’s Shea Patterson. Patterson was always seen as the most interesting quarterback evaluation coming into the Senior Bowl and he has struggled. He has been slightly better than Steven Montez, but that’s not saying too much. It would not be surprising at this stage if Patterson ends up going undrafted.
The Bengals may not have been able to get the early personal closeup with Joe Burrow, but they’ve gotten their hands on another top prospect. At the very least, the Bengals have won something in regards to quarterbacks coaching the Senior Bowl.
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