College Coach on Packers QB Michael Pratt: ‘Fearless Competitor,’ Winner

Packers rookie quarterback Michael Pratt turned around the Tulane football program. Here’s why, through the eyes of his former position coach.

Packers rookie QB Michael Pratt / James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For those who don’t believe “quarterback wins” is a stat, feel free to back out of this story about Michael Pratt, the quarterback the Green Bay Packers selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

From 1999 through 2021, Tulane didn’t record a single 10-win season. Heck, it didn’t have a nine-win season. From 2003 through 2021, Tulane had only three winning seasons – and those were 7-6 finishes.

Pratt was the starting quarterback of the 2020 team, which went 6-6, and the 2021 team, which went 2-10. With seasoning came success. The Green Wave went 12-2 in 2022 and 11-3 in 2023.

In Pratt’s 24 starts, Tulane went 21-3. Yes, his arm strength, mobility and experience were significant factors. So, too, was his ability to lead and inspire.

“It makes things a lot easier when one of your players, obviously your quarterback, is such a good leader and everybody looks up to him,” LSU assistant coach Slade Nagle, who was Tulane’s quarterbacks coach last season, told Packer Central. “He’s able to get things done at a little bit more rapid pace and a lot easier than sometimes the coaches trying to hammer it home over and over and over.

“That’s just the type of guy he is. I think everybody, coaches and players included, believed in him. He didn’t give them any reason not to. He was just a guy who laced his cleats up every day and went to work and went out there and competed his butt off. Obviously, he’s got good arm strength and so on and so forth, but I think most importantly those things are what led to all the success we had and all the success personally for himself.”

Pratt left Tulane as the school record-holder with 9,602 passing yards, 60.1 percent accuracy and 90 touchdown passes. He also was No. 1 in touchdown passes per game and interception percentage.

Critically from an NFL perspective, Pratt got better over time. He went from 55.1 percent accuracy in 2020 and 57.6 percent in 2021 to 63.6 percent in 2022 and 65.4 percent in 2023. He was second-team all-AAC with 27 touchdown passes, 10 touchdown runs and only five interceptions in 2022, a season capped by beating Caleb Williams-led USC in the Cotton Bowl. In 2023, he was the conference player of the year with 22 touchdown passes, five touchdown runs and only five interceptions.

“I think he understood that he had to get better and be more accurate as a passer,” Nagle said. “I think that was the main focus for what he did last year. When you go back and look at it, you saw him play in the pocket better than he had previously. Some of that is us focusing on it and some of that is just maturity, as well, and gaining experience over time. I think that’s what you saw.

“I think he felt more comfortable and he moved better in the pocket. He saw things a little bit better at times. I do think he’ll only get better and better and better. He’s not a finished product by any means, and he knows that. Work has never been something he shies away from.”

Most college and professional quarterbacks can make plays from a clean pocket. Quarterbacks who make plays when under duress will make a lot of money. As a senior, according to Pro Football Focus, Pratt threw seven touchdown passes vs. one interception when under pressure. He ranked fourth in the draft class in touchdowns (behind first-round picks Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy and Williams) and second in interceptions (first-round pick Jayden Daniels was the only player with zero). His plus-6 touchdowns vs. interceptions trailed only Nix’s plus-8.

Why was he so good during those challenging moments?

“I think probably it starts with he’s just a fearless competitor and, honestly, he’s not a guy who’s scared of contact, who’s scared to get hit,” Nagle said. “He’s one of the rare guys that plays quarterback with a little bit more of a linebacker mentality.

“He’s just a kid that if you roll the ball out, he’s the first one out there. He’s always been like that. He’s a competitor. He likes to play. I think that probably plays a factor into it. He’s not a skittish player in the pocket. He’s not scared to hang in there and take hits, that’s for sure.”

Pratt’s also an excellent runner. He finished his career with 1,145 rushing yards – remember, in college, sacks count against a quarterback’s rushing total – and 28 touchdowns.

“He’s got good mobility,” Nagle said.

But: “As he got older, a little more mature, he tried to focus on more pocket movement and keeping my eyes downfield and working to the next progression. So, I think that’s something that he improved. I know he’ll focus to keep trying to improve that.”

Nagle said Pratt “worked his tail off” to become a winning quarterback and not just a great quarterback. His team-first approach was evident in early November, when he received his invite to the Senior Bowl. Rather than talking about himself, Pratt thanked his teammates, including the defense and scout team.

It’s that leadership that endeared him to his teammates at Tulane. Because Pratt had their back, they had his back, and that allowed all his talent to step to the forefront.

“Mike is a smart person who understands what he needs to do from a personal level, but I also think he’s really good with people and I think people play hard for him,” Nagle said. “In today’s athletics, I think that is a very much looked-over characteristic that he just has a natural ability to get the guys around him to play at a high level and compete, because I think they know he’ll do whatever it takes and he’ll lay it on the line. I think that kind of gravitates guys to him.

“So, I think that’s his biggest attribute and that’s why he’s been successful thus far, and I would think that’s what will make him successful moving forward.”

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