Round 6: Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs – 6-3, 216 – 4.64 – Senior
Previous Pick: Jackson State DE Jevancy Jones
The Bucs stay with the offensive side of the ball with the selection of Dobbs, who is generating some buzz as possibly the next Dak Prescott coming out of college. But the truth is that despite showing improvement over the last two years, Dobbs needs more developing than Prescott did coming out of Mississippi State last year.

With Mike Glennon leaving in free agency to become the starting quarterback in Chicago, the Bucs have a need for a talented backup quarterback behind Jameis Winston. The team currently has Ryan Griffin and Sean Renfree on the roster, but isn’t sold on either one. Dobbs would give head coach Dirk Koetter another quarterback with some escapability to make plays outside the pocket as Winston does.

Only Dobbs is more athletic and demonstrated that at the NFL Scouting Combine. Dobbs’ 4.64 time in the 40-yard dash was the best among quarterbacks, as was his 33-inch vertical jump and his 6.75 time in the three-cone drill. It is possible that given his athleticism, Dobbs could be drafted before the sixth round. But given the amount of development he needs when it comes to reading defenses and making good decisions from the pocket, Dobbs could slide to the sixth round.

Dobbs’ Tennessee Passing Stats
2016: 225-of-357 passes (63 percent) for 2,946 yards with 27 TDs and 12 INTs
2015: 205-of-344 passes (59.6 percent) for 2,291 yards with 15 TDs and 5 INTs
2014: 112-of-177 passes (63.3 percent) for 1,206 yards with 9 TDs and 6 INTs
2013: 72-of-121 passes (59.5 percent) for 695 yards with 2 TDs and 6 INTs

Dobbs’ Tennessee Rushing Stats
2016: 150 carries for 831 yards (5.5 avg.) with 12 TDs
2015: 146 carries for 671 yards (4.6 avg.) with 11 TDs
2014: 104 carries for 469 yards (4.5 avg.) with 8 TDs
2013: 38 carries for 189 yards (5.0 avg.) with 1 TD

Dobbs’ senior season had plenty of shining moments, including throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more in a 45-24 win over Virginia Tech. Two weeks later, Dobbs threw for 319 yards and four TDs and rushed for another score in a 38-28 win over Florida. His four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) sparked a 34-31 win at Georgia and he had a monster game against Missouri in a 63-37 victory with 223 yards passing and three touchdowns and a career-high 190 yards rushing and two more scores on the ground. In his final game for the Volunteers, Dobbs passed for 291 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 118 yards and three TDs in a 38-24 win over Nebraska in the Music City Bowl.

What’s appealing about Dobbs is that he has been coached by Mike Bajakian, who was the quarterbacks coach for two years at Tennessee from 2013-14. Dobbs is one of the better quarterbacks when it comes to downfield accuracy, completing 47.7 of those passes with 14 touchdowns coming from throws of 21-plus yards, according to NFL.com.

Dobbs is recognized as a tremendous leader and was recently given the Torchbearer Award, which is the highest honor bestowed on an undergraduate student at Tennessee. The award recognized Dobbs for his outstanding accomplishments in the community and in the classroom. Dobbs is an honors student majoring in aerospace engineering.

“I continue to take on more leadership,” Dobbs told SECCountry.com. “I just want to hold the offense to a high standard. If I see something that I need to address and fix it, then I’ll do that. And I won’t hesitate to do that.”

Tennessee head coach Butch Davis calls Dobbs a “CEO quarterback.”

“The model of a great person is a model of consistency,” Davis said. “Joshua Dobbs exemplifies consistency every day.”

In addition for being a dual-threat quarterback on the field, Dobbs is known for his appearance off the field. Dobbs is bald and has no eyebrows due to alopecia areata, a condition that causes his hair to fall out at a young age. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has the same condition.

Dobbs draws strength from those around him who have also dealt with physical challenges. His mother has been wheelchair bound since he was a child due to an autoimmune disease. At Tennessee, Dobbs befriended A.J. Cucksey, a six-year old boy who endured 41 treatments for seven inoperable brain tumors. Here’s a heartwarming story about their relationship.

Dobbs is a team-oriented, developing quarterback with a live arm and intriguing athletic ability. He would be an ideal backup to Winston.

Click below to view Tampa Bay’s seventh-round pick in 2017.