Michigan Football: Shea Patterson can be a solid NFL backup
Shea Patterson had a solid showing at the NFL combine in the workouts and overall, it was a reminder that the former Michigan football QB could be a backup.
As far as former Michigan football quarterback Shea Patterson is concerned, there is only so much help he was going to get from a good showing at the NFL combine.
But after running the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds and measuring just under 6-foot-1, it was a pretty good showing for Patterson, who is in a fight to get selected on draft weekend.
Regardless of how he looks throwing the ball in workouts, teams will always look at his performance with the Wolverines and it will hold him back. He had some good moments and he had some very good stretches during his Michigan football career.
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He led the Wolverines to 10-straight wins in 2018 and he engineered an 18-point come-from-behind win on the road against Northwestern that season, which ended up at the Big Ten West champion.
Patterson completed 64 percent of his passes as a junior and truth be told if he would have left after that first season, he probably at least would have been a mid-to-late round pick. This year, it’s looking like he might go undrafted.
I still believe he will find his way into the seventh round or so. Yes, he only completed 56 percent of his passes last season, but he got better as the season wore on. His deep accuracy is an issue and so is his ability to progress through a defense. He has a lot of work to do, but as he showed at the combine, he has some developmental traits.
Not a ton of quarterbacks can run 4.6 and throw the ball as well as Patterson can and while he may not function well as a starter, with the bright lights on him all the time, it’s not as hard to imagine him coming off the bench and making a few plays.
He has a knack for playing well from behind and seems to thrive more when the pressure is off or when there is less expected of him. He thrived against Notre Dame and was huge, twice, against Michigan State.
But his inconsistency was maddening at times. However, there were moments of brilliance and playing through a new offensive system just about every year of your college career isn’t helpful.
Patterson threw 45 touchdown passes the last two years and averaged eight yards an attempt doing it.
He may never have been elite with Michigan football and he won’t be at the next level, but that doesn’t mean he can’t survive and play a few years in a league starved for solid quarterbacks.