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Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

No quarterback prospect benefited more from the predraft process than Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs.

When evaluating the position, a quarterback's in-season performance only tells part of the story. The position is special because so much of it is played above the shoulders.

Can the young man handle the pressure of being an NFL quarterback? What type of relationship is expected to develop between the player and the coaching staff? What type of work ethic does he bring? How does he grasp concepts?

The last question is particularly important. Dobbs continues to wow teams once he's allowed to discuss pro-style concepts despite playing in a spread collegiate system.

"My senior year I was taking astronautics, propulsion and an aerodynamics class...all on the same day," he told The MMQB's Emily Kaplan. "At the same time as football season when I was leading an SEC team. I think I can handle it."

This isn't to say Dobbs lacks the physical tools or level of play necessary to be a legit quarterback prospect. He's 6'3" and 216 pounds with top-five performances among quarterbacks at the NFL combine in the 40-yard dash (4.64 seconds), vertical jump (33 inches), broad jump (10'2") and three-cone drill (6.75 seconds). He also scored 87 career touchdowns and helped lead Tennessee from a 5-7 record to 9-4 seasons and bowl games.

"Dobbs definitely has the tools to be a solid player in the league," an AFC college scouting director told NFL.com's Bucky Brooks. "He's smart, tough and athletic. Plus, he showed at the Senior Bowl that he could adapt to a pro-style offense."

No one should be surprised when the Tennessee product is drafted higher than expected—which was the middle to late rounds.