Former Tulane Green Wave QB Has Real Shot at Green Bay Packers Backup Job
The Tulane Green Wave don't have an extensive history of quarterbacks with long careers in the NFL, but another could be added to the list soon.
Michael Pratt recently broke the 20 year drought of Tulane quarterbacks being taken in the NFL draft as the Green Bay Packers selected him in the seventh round just a few months ago.
While Green Bay has a solidified starting quarterback in Jordan Love, their backup job will be up for grabs in training camp.
Pratt's competition isn't exactly elite, so he has a good chance at winning the job. He'll also see an increased snap count as Love is currently in a contract dispute and will not participate in practice.
Sean Clifford was a surprising fifth-round selection out of Penn State in 2023. He was the Packers' backup last season, but didn't see much action.
He had two appearances at the end of games and the only stats recorded were three rushes for negative two yards.
To add further competition to the backup room, Green Bay also recently signed Jacob Eason for training camp.
A fifth-round selection in 2020, Eason has also not had very much NFL impact. He's had seven stints with six different teams since being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.
He's thrown 10 passes with five completions for 84 yards and two interceptions. He hasn't thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2022, though.
Pratt has the upside factor, as he's still a bit of an unknown. Across four seasons with the Green Wave, he threw for 9,602 yards with 90 touchdowns to 26 interceptions.
The 22-year-old was clearly a player that the Packers didn't want to risk losing, which is why they nabbed him with a seventh-round pick rather than letting him go to undrafted free agency.
He was once believed to be someone that could have gone during day two of the draft, so this could be a great value for Green Bay as well as an extra chip on the shoulder for the former Tulane passer.
Given the uncertainty around how his competitors, earning the backup job will not be as hard as it would be on a team with an established veteran.
Pratt has already impressed during the minicamp sessions back in May, so he'll be going into training camp with some confidence.
DYLAN SANDERS