Will Former Michigan QB Shea Patterson Get Signed?
Over the past 36 hours, I spoke to two NFL scouts and a pair of former Michigan players that both spent at least five years in the NFL to get their thoughts on why Shea Patterson (as of Monday April 27 at 6pm) has not been signed to a free-agent contract, and whether he will get signed.
Patterson is not the first, nor will he be the last, five-star to go undrafted. In fact, 247Sports.com recently wrote an article about some of the five-stars that didn't hear their name called during the 2020 NFL Draft. What's perhaps puzzling about Patterson is that he has yet to sign a free-agent contract either, leading one former Wolverine, who was a free-agent signee, to suggest it won't happen.
"Generally speaking, there is a frenzy of free-agent signings in the first few hours after the draft because every team has a list of 10-20 guys that could be good fits for their franchise, and the best of the best get gobbled up fast," the former U-M player said. "If it hasn't happened by now, it's not happening.
"Shea's best shot will be when rookie camps and such take place - if they take place - because teams will evaluate what they have and there are plenty of marginal talents that get discarded. Other than that, the XFL or the CFL depending on whether they have seasons or not, I think would be a place he could give a go."
One of the scouts I spoke to noted the decision not to draft Patterson is unique to each of the 32 NFL teams, but that he didn't receive a draftable grade from his franchise.
"One of the things we do is evaluate a player's performance against equal talent, and in 2019, we had six games like that for Michigan, and we gave him a draftable grade in two of them. We gave him a draftable grade in three of the six from 2018, and that's just not enough for us to use a pick on a guy," the scout said.
"He was certainly playing better late in his senior season, but there was significant regression in the bowl game against Alabama - I'll be honest, it never comes down to one game, but his performance there and at the Senior Bowl raised enough red flags for us to slide him way down on our draft board."
The second scout said there were still "a few names" of quarterbacks remaining on their draft board ahead of Patterson when the draft ended. Still, 12 signal-callers were signed to free-agent contracts, including players from Princeton, Northern Arizona and North Central (whatever college that is).
Is Patterson really worse than those three guys?
"I think the biggest thing is, 'What does he do well?'" the second scout said. "He's not very accurate. He doesn't have a big arm. His deep ball efficiency is below-average. His mechanics are really a concern. I don't know if he works with a private coach or not but someone should have rebuilt him. He throws from so many arm angles and it's lazy. Guys like Mahomes and Rodgers do it because it's required. Patterson seemed to do it because his mechanics are shoddy."
One former Wolverine that played defense in the NFL said his biggest red flag with Patterson was his penchant for leaving clean pockets.
"He does that in the NFL and he's going to get himself killed," the defender said. "A clean pocket is a quarterback's best friend. Guys will sit in there all day if you let them, but Shea seemed jumpy. His footwork and his drops were inconsistent and he was always rushing himself. You want a quarterback that plays calm, cool, collected. He seemed to play with a streak of anxiousness in everything he did."
Michigan's offense struggles against Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Alabama were not singularly Patterson's fault. There were too many drops. The running game wasn't always his best friend and it took awhile for offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to find his rhythm as a play-caller. And there may have been some chemistry issues.
"I don't think he had complete confidence in his guys to make plays - too many drops in too many big moments," one of the former players said. "Quarterbacks have to throw a guy open, meaning they can't wait until a receiver is open to throw the ball. They have to throw to a spot and let their guy make a play, but even with someone like Nico [Collins], you almost never saw Shea throw to a spot.
"He didn't throw a lot of jump balls by design - a few played out that way because they were late - but he didn't trust his guys to make plays. I'm sure he would say otherwise or the coaches, publicly, but the proof is on film. The proof is always on film, and that is why he didn't get drafted."
In the aftermath of the Draft, Patterson took to instagram to wish his teammates success in the NFL. It was a classy move, and one that had to have been difficult as his pro ambitions appear on life support. Patterson has plenty of supporters, and they swear by his character and mental makeup.
Michigan fans should wish Patterson well, whatever his next act is. It probably won't be as a football player, but nothing in life is 100%.
