Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
The Reese’s Senior Bowl arrives next week, with practices starting Tuesday and running until Saturday’s game. Over the past few seasons, we have seen some of the best talents in the draft go through Mobile, this year they gave juniors eligibility to attend the game opening up the talent pool. This will allow them to get one-on-one time with NFL coaching staff and personnel to help boost their draft stock. Over the next few days, I’ll preview some of the top names at the skill positions at this year’s event, starting below with quarterbacks.
Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. headline the quarterback class at this year’s Senior Bowl. Both are sitting just below the top tier of quarterbacks of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jaylen Daniels. After that, we see a slight dropoff in talent, but there could be a sleeper or two from this grouping.
(Check out the other Senior Bowl position previews: RB | WR | TE)
Bo Nix, Oregon
6-foot-2, 213 pounds
It has been a turbulent college career for Bo Nix, who never topped 2,600 passing yards in any of his three years at Auburn but exploded once transferring to Eugene. We saw Nix’s game make a significant turnaround — his completion percentage jumped 10% in the first year and jumped further to a CFB-leading 77.4% in 2024. He also led the nation with 45 passing touchdowns, 364 completions and 9.6 yards per attempt in the 2023 season.
This improvement in production has garnered some serious draft buzz. His physical tools are evident on the field, especially as a mobile athlete who has amassed 38 touchdowns and over 1,600 rushing yards on the ground. When it comes to his arm, he has good short-area accuracy and strength, allowing him to hit any area on the field. Nix’s big issue is consistency with his footwork and timing — he is late on throws and completely inaccurate at times. This week at the Senior Bowl can help cement Nix’s position in this 2024 class.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
6-foot-3, 214 pounds
Like Nix, Michael Penix is another quarterback who required a transfer to make a name for himself in the draft realm. In four seasons at Indiana, he passed for a mere 4,197 yards and 29 touchdowns in 21 games. Once arriving in Washington, he unlocked his potential, topping 4,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons en route to 9,544 passing yards as a Husky, leading the nation in passing yards in 2023 with 4,903. He also passed for over 30 touchdowns in each season.
That said, Penix has not garnered as much early draft buzz as others. He has tremendous accuracy, especially in the deep parts of the field. He has a rocket launcher for an arm that allows him to hit anywhere on the field and squeeze throws into tight windows. He offers little to no dual-threat ability but does have good pocket presence and evaluability within it. The lack of mobility and lack of consistency on the easy throws are knocks for Penix, so hopefully he can show off some of these in Moblie.
Michael Pratt, Tulane
6-foot-2, 210 pounds
We may have the draft diamond right here for the quarterback position. Michael Pratt has been a steady producer for Tulane for the last four years, amassing 9611 passing yards and 90 touchdowns. He also has over 1,100 yards and another 28 touchdowns on the ground. Impressively, he has only turned the ball over 26 times on over 1,200 passing attempts.
Pratt is a fluid thrower of the football, making it look effortless more times than not. He has the arm strength to test a defense while also displaying the touch to drop the ball in over dropping linebackers. He is mature beyond his age in the pocket at deciphering coverages and generally makes the right reads, hardly putting the ball in danger. Although he has the ability to pick up yards with his legs, he is far from a dual threat, he leans on this athleticism to extend plays and throw on the move. I hope to see him improve some with getting the ball out a touch quicker and more on time this week as this is one of the biggest areas he needs to grow.
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
6-foot-1, 215 pounds
It has been a fall from grace for Spencer Rattler. Once highly coveted in NFL circles, Rattler is fighting for Day 2 draft capital at this point. After exploding onto the scene in 2020 at Oklahoma (throwing for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns), he struggled in 2021 and was replaced. He transferred to South Carolina and continued to struggle with consistency. Ultimately, he posted back-to-back 3,000-passing-yard seasons and 37 total touchdowns for the Gamecocks. One major issue is his 32 career interceptions, 20 coming over the last two seasons.
Rattler has all the physical tools, offering a true NFL arm that allows him to fit the ball into any window and any area of the field. This ability also works against him at times as he often tests the limits with it and gets himself in trouble. He also has good mobility to pick up yardage when called upon, but he won’t be setting any rushing records any time soon. Hopefully, Rattler can use this week to show his growth and development in the areas of timing and decision-making to help push him up some draft boards.
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
6-foot-5, 245 pounds
If you like big-bodied quarterbacks, this is your guy. Joe Milton possesses the prototypical NFL size and a howitzer for an arm. The problem is that he could never get it all together. Before his stint in Tennessee, he started his career at Michigan and passed for a mere 1,194 yards while holding a lackluster 56.6% completion percentage. This past season was his first real shot as a starter, and he passed for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 64.7% of his passes. He also added 299 yards and 7 scores on the ground.
Milton has only had two opportunities to start and was benched in his first shot, in large part due to his inconsistencies. He offers a huge arm that allows him to make throws many can only dream of, but he also struggles to make the layup throws often. In addition, he has not always been the best processor post-snap and wasn’t asked to progress through a full field often. Even though he is an athletic guy, he is a true pocket passer who can throw on the run but can’t escape pressure easily. To sum it up, Milton needs to show a lot of growth throughout the week to help get himself drafted and hopefully develop into a solid NFL quarterback.
Sam Hartman, Norte Dame
6-foot-1, 210 pounds
Sam Hartman has been one of the most prolific passers at the college level for the past six seasons, amassing 15,656 yards and 134 touchdowns. Most of this production was at Wake Forest where he played for five seasons and finished top five in the ACC in passing yards in back-to-back years (2021-22). In his first (and only) season at Norte Dame, he led the Independents in passing yards (2,689), completion percentage (a career-best 63.5%) and passing touchdowns (24).
Hartman is a traditional pocket passer who relies on timing and accuracy to get the job done. He is a mature quarterback who can decipher defenses well pre- and post-snap. In addition, he has great ball placement and touch to make quality throws consistently. He is far from winning an award with his legs but does showcase good movability within the pocket to avoid the rush, sometimes too much leading to a negative play. He will need to showcase some better arm strength and improved mechanics to help him land a spot in the NFL.
