We're about to find out how accurate Jon Gruden was with his pre-draft assessment of former Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman.
In the days leading up to the NFL Draft back in April, there was a lot of debate about who the top quarterback was. Some people thought it was Deshaun Watson, some people thought it was Mitchell Trubisky and other people thought it was Patrick Mahomes. However, that's not how Gruden saw things.
The former Buccaneers coach had an interesting prediction for Peterman: Gruden said he would be the rookie quarterback best suited to start in the NFL from Day 1.
Before the draft, Gruden wrote extensively on why he thought Peterman was the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2017 class.
"Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor from day one," Gruden wrote on ESPN.com in April. "He just looks like a pro quarterback -- coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don't run. Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations."
Peterman will be getting his first start of the season on Sunday after the Bills surprisingly decided to bench Tyrod Taylor on Wednesday.
Gruden also added that Peterman would potentially be the best for an NFL huddle.
"Most importantly, he will be able to get in a huddle from day one and look at 10 grown men and tell them where to go and what to do and handle a versatile snap count," Gruden wrote.
The former Super Bowl winning coach, who now serves as a color analyst on Monday Night Football, offered a few more thoughts on Peterman during a conference call that was held just days before the draft.
"He is sharp. He is in the channel, I think, of success. I think he's going to be a real good pro quarterback," Gruden said of Peterman, via the Bills official website. "I think any team in the league, you can cater your offense for Peterman. He's a lot more athletic than people think. And he can handle an extensive amount of football, so the teams that are really ambitious with deep, thick playbooks, those are the teams that Peterman would fit in with. But I hope he gets with one of those guys that can really stretch him and challenge him."
To prove Gruden right, Peterman is going to have to put up some monstrous numbers in Buffalo. Although most rookie quarterbacks -- like DeShone Kizer, C.J. Beathard and Mitchell Trubisky -- have struggled this year, Peterman is going to have look more impressive than Deshaun Watson to prove that he was the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2017 draft class.
Before getting injured in Week 8, Watson threw 19 touchdown passes for a suddenly explosive Texans offense that averaged 34.7 points per game during his six starts. If Peterman can play just half as good as Watson, the 5-4 Bills could be on their way to clinching their first playoff berth since 1999.
