The debate over Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph won't end until one shines brighter in preseason and is ultimately named as the No. 2 quarterback to start the season, but behind both of them is Devlin Hodges, who lit up the FCS in 2018 and won the Walter Payton Award — the FCS equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
Hodges threw for 14,584 yards in four seasons at Samford with 111 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. But that wasn't enough to get him drafted, and now he's trying to show the Steelers that he can make it in the NFL. I've been watching Hodges flash skills during drills that have occasionally outshone his competition in camp, but not consistently enough at this point to earn a roster spot.
Let's look at what he did well in college and compare it with my camp notes:
The first thing most people notice about Hodges is his size, or rather, lack of it. He's officially 6 foot 1, but Dobbs is 6 foot 3 and Rudolph is 6 foot 5. It's safe to say that if Hodges had either of their height he would've played in a power five conference in college and would've been drafted. But he's done a good job in spite of it.
Hodges is a natural thrower of the football who can put perfect touch on passes when given a clean pocket and a good view of the field. Watch this dime he places over the cornerback just enough that the receiver can make it to the ball before the sideline:
Hodges has a great feel for where his receivers are at all times and keeps his head up even while under pressure, still processing what's going on downfield.
But his biggest challenges come when defenses are putting their hands on him or when he has to impose his will. Watch how he throws the ball while a defender is hanging onto him as he tries to throw.
This is a pass Ben Roethlisberger has made several times over his career because of his natural strength and size, but Hodges can't overpower the defender and throws a bad pass that gets intercepted:
Hodges has these moments in camp where he looks like a refined quarterback and can make a solid read and throw to keep the offense efficient. In limited snaps, like on the second team reps during the seven shots drill, he can look very strong.
But when he's been given extended snaps and time to play, you start to see Hodges' limitations much easier. He has good feet in the pocket, but sometimes he's too short to see over a rushing lineman and can't make a play the other quarterbacks would.
Hodges' best traits come when he's able to stick to his natural skills and keeps processing. When he's doing that well he looks just as good as any of the backups, and sometimes better. But there are still those moments when you're not sure how well he would actually do against an opponent's rabid defense that's showing no mercy.
Friday night against the Buccaneers he could get his first chance to show that he deserves more snaps this preseason.
To do it, he's going to need to stand tall.
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