QBs hoping to become next Prescott

MOBILE, ALA. >> The Senior Bowl quarterbacks would gladly become this year’s version of Dak Prescott, except perhaps with a shorter wait in the NFL draft.

Prescott impressed at last year’s Senior Bowl , earning Most Outstanding Player honors. He still languished until the fourth round of the draft before moving into a starring role for the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie.

Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs, another experienced and prolific Southeastern Conference passer, is hoping to perform well during his own turn in Saturday’s showcase game for senior NFL prospects.

“It just shows if you can be successful at the college level, then you can be successful at the NFL level,” Dobbs said. “As long as you put in the work and you have the determination and drive that it takes. He’s a classic example of that.”

Clemson’s Deshaun Watson opted out of playing in the game, leaving the Senior Bowl without a likely firstround quarterback pick.

It also opened the door for less high-profile passers to shine. The South is led by Dobbs, California’s Davis Webb and Antonio Pipkin of Division II Tiffin. The North quarterbacks are Colorado’s Sefo Liufau, Pittsburgh’s Nate Peterman and Iowa’s C.J. Beathard.

They had to take a crash course in learning the basics of a pro-style offense, including getting used to taking snaps under center under the watchful eye of the coaching staffs of the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.

“We have total freedom basically at the line of scrimmage,” Webb said. “We can check plays, make opposite calls to flip the play or check pass plays. They gave us a lot of freedom. That’s something that I’m sure they’re expecting us to learn, because they expect a lot out of the quarterbacks and the offense especially.

“(Cleveland coach Hue) Jackson leads the offensive meetings. He takes it very personally. He wants to be great on offense especially for the Browns but this Saturday, he wants us to put some points on the board.”

Tight Ends

Led by Alabama’s O.J. Howard, it’s an impressive group, including three former SEC Western Division standouts. Howard is projected as a first-round pick and likely the top prospect among Senior Bowl performers at this point. Pro Football Focus said of his week that he “looked smooth and was arguably the best athlete on the field.”