Carter's Classroom draft profile: Joshua Dobbs, quarterback

Quarterbacks with size, mobility and decent arm strength are often looked at by scouts. But with the more faster and more complex level of competition at the NFL level, it's always difficult to see which quarterbacks' skills will translate to the professional level and which will flounder.

This year's quarterback class is not packed with players who are viewed as immediate franchise saviors. There are some potential first-round picks, including Mitchell Trubisky and DeShaun Watson, and others such as Patrick Mahomes and David Webb who could be second-day picks.

Today, we look at another quarterback that will be available in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft in Joshua Dobbs from Tennessee:



Dobbs was the quarterback who beat out Nathan Peterman at Tennessee when both were sophomores, causing Peterman to transfer to Pitt. Dobbs is the far better athlete of the two, which gave him a significant edge in the competition. He showed just how athletic he was with an impressive combine.

Dobbs clocked a 4.64 time in the 40 yard dash, just .02 faster than Watson and behind only Trevor Knight of Texas A&M in the quarterback class. He came in third in both the vertical and broad jumps, while clocking the fastest time in the three-cone drill and placing sixth in the 20-yard shuttle.

Dobbs was a high level recruit who threw for 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2016, but caught fire in his last five games when he threw for 12 touchdowns and only one interception. He's also has excellent mental makeup that goes beyond football. An aerospace engineering major, he plans on building airplanes when his football career is over.

But all that means little if one can't produce on the field, so let's go this tape:

GOOD PROGRESSIONS

Dobbs engineered some great drives throughout the season while dissecting defenses. Take this game against Texas A&M when he led four scoring drives in the last quarter and a half of football to comeback from a 21-point deficit and force the game to overtime.

When I watched Dobbs' tape, I saw a guy who could keep his reads in mind while taking his time to scan the field and be patient enough to find the holes in the defense but urgent enough to get rid of the ball.

Take this play for example when he comes off of his first read and waits for this spacing route combination to clear out an easy target for a first down:



Dobbs shows the ability to manipulate defenses when he's in full command of his offense. He'll look one way in order to help set up the real target he's had the entire time without tipping his hand to show the defense his true intentions.

His 6-foot-3 height helps him see over offensive linemen and get a good look down the field. His arm also favors his ability to exploit defenses when safeties bite on his head fakes.

Watch how he executes that here against Florida's defense. Florida is in a man cover 1 scheme, meaning that all but one of the non-blitzing linebackers and defensive backs are in man coverage and the deep safety has the lone deep coverage responsibility.

Knowing this, Dobbs realizes that he just have to keep the safety away from his deep target long enough to get a one-on-one opportunity for the big play:



He gets some help when his receiver shakes the defender to the ground, but he still sets up the long touchdown pass by making sure the safety would be nowhere near the targeted side of the field.

This is where Dobbs' intelligence comes into play, as he's a fiery competitor who shows the ability to analyze defenses for weaknesses and exploit them with the talents on his roster. All that said, Dobbs does show issues with sticking too long on certain reads and having poor ball placement.

ACCURACY ISSUES

Watch this red zone interception. Dobbs sees his man in the back of the end zone trying to work past his man to the middle of the field but it's well covered. Dobbs sticks with the read despite other options that have better position against the man coverage scheme:



Not only is it the wrong read, but the ball is thrown in a place where only the defender could get to it. There are plenty of examples of passes thrown behind their targets or in spaces that aren't quite where the ball needs to be.

Then there are times when the ball is thrown in a poor location as well as a poor read when Dobbs gets too locked in on his pre-snap read. This leads to the disasters that have scared away scouts from Dobbs as an early-round prospect:



That came as the concluding play of the same game in which Dobbs led Tennessee on a 21-point comeback and took them to overtime. His performance can be mercurial at times, as he's paired moment of brilliance with miscues that tend to befall more average college quarterbacks.

But it's not pressure that gets to Dobbs, as part of what made his teammates respect him was how he never showed fear in the face of the pass rush or put the team at risk in order to dodge a hit.

TOUGH IN THE POCKET

One thing I really like about Dobbs is how when he is in the pocket and facing pressure, he stands tall and looks to find his targets down the field.

Watch how the pocket collapses around Dobbs and he keeps his head up the entire play to find his tight end deep behind the zero coverage:



Dobbs knows that with no safeties deep and the amount of blitzers coming that the deep middle of the field is vulnerable. That's why he remained unfazed as he kept looking for that weak spot in the defense and fired the perfect throw.

There are also plenty of times which Dobbs moves in the pocket and fires a strong pass to his target. Watch on this play as Texas A&M does a great job forcing him up in the pocket and rushing his throw, but how Dobbs keeps his head looking down the field and is able to avoid the traffic to make the completion:



While the pass ended as incomplete, the closer replay showed that it hit the receiver square in the hands without any interference from the defensive back. That's another thing I noticed with Dobbs' time at Tennessee and with his teammates.

Plenty of times I would see dropped passes from the most perfect of throws and Dobbs would not fuss with his teammates. Rather he would remain supportive and try to keep them focused on the next opportunity. That's a nice leadership quality.

MOBILE THREAT

What adds to Dobbs' box of skills is his athleticism and it shines whenever he takes off with the ball in his hand. Dobbs would often try to make plays within the pocket but was not afraid to get on the move and put his body on the line to keep drives alive. His speed and agility made him quick to cover ground left open by the defense and he has the ability to make defenders miss.

Watch how he is able to gain the first down by speeding through the open lane, but also how he makes a move to seal the deal:



He's not the most nimble quarterback you'll see but with his size he becomes harder for defensive backs to deal with when he sneaks past the pass rush. He won't win footraces but he will be able to take advantage when a blitz does not contain him.

TOUGHNESS ALL OVER

Not only does Dobbs look to put moves on when he runs the ball, he also can choose to take the shorter path and run right through an opponent when close enough to the goal line:



Notice how Dobbs lowers his shoulders and uses his leg drive to keep pushing his momentum forward. While any team that has Dobbs as a starter in his NFL career may urge him to not put his body on the line as much, his teammates respect his willingness to sacrifice everything to get the job done.

STEELERS' STOCK

What's intriguing about Dobbs' position in the draft is the quarterback talent in front of him and how he could fit perfectly for the Steelers.

Dobbs is not going in the first two rounds and possibly not in the third either. I see him as a fourth to mid-fifth round talent that some team will eventually make a move on that has a solid starting quarterback and is looking for a backup.

Dobbs needs time to polish his game in the NFL, learn a new system and work on refining how his footwork and passing motions match. There are still some fundamentals he needs to work on to help make him a more consistent quarterback, so teams are very wary of spending too high on a player that will be a project.

But what Dobbs brings is a higher ceiling than the other competition in his tier of quarterbacks in this draft. Players like Brad Kaaya and Peterman show better pure mechanics and smoother play, but don't have his speed or arm strength to match.

Interviews with Dobbs both during his time at Tennessee and since the combine have indicated that he is a smart athlete that could learn the ins and outs of football to catch up to other prospects who might have a smoother delivery and better mechanics at this point.

What the other prospects won't be able to develop is Dobbs' strong arm and his elusive speed. The ceiling for him in the NFL is higher thanks to his arm, gifts, and the good head he has on his shoulders. While quarterbacks with smaller arms will be more likely to be strict game managers rather than having the potential to be full-time starters with multiple tools.

While the Steelers are looking for a backup that can challenge Landry Jones for the spot behind Ben Roethlisberger, they are also looking for someone that could be Roethlisberger's heir.

Dobbs is a player can surpass that of Jones if he can make some improvements to his game. But being the future franchise quarterback is a long shot. While he has the physical tools, he would need to develop a consistency that would take time.

What would go in his favor if the Steelers were to select him is that should Roethlisberger go down to injury and his number is called is that there is a bevy of weapons on the Steeelrs' offense that could make his job easier.

If the Steelers don't feel confident in taking a stab at Mahomes, DeShone Kizer or Watson, should any of them make it to the 30th pick or into the late second round, Dobbs would be an interesting fit for what the Steelers need temporarily with the potential to develop into something more.

While the defense should be the primary concern of the early rounds, it would make sense for the Steelers to consider investing one of their third round picks or a fourth round pick on a quarterback they could bring into their system.