MOBILE, Ala. — For a college quarterback transitioning to the NFL, there are few things more damaging than being labeled the product of a spread-option offense.

You know the stereotypes already: always in the shotgun, never takes a snap from center, too many predetermined throws, doesn’t know how to take proper drops in the pocket, never asked to go through progressions … the list goes on and on.

Both of the SEC signal callers at the Senior Bowl — Joshua Dobbs of Tennessee and Chad Kelly of Ole Miss — will have to answer those questions. Dobbs, of course, is the only one of those two able to prove some of his doubters wrong at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kelly is in attendance yet still on the mend from a torn ACL.

But each has already been subjected to scouts wondering if the big numbers they put up in college mean anything in the world of Sunday football.

That being said, coaches and general managers alike misjudged another QB from the best conference in America who was on hand in Mobile just last year: Dak Prescott. Like Dobbs and Kelly, Prescott was a spread guy at Mississippi State.

Eventually drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in Round 4, everyone just assumed that Prescott would have this Texas-sized learning curve. However, after being unexpectedly thrown into the starting lineup, he completed 67.8 percent of his passes, put together a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 23-to-4 and — most important — went 13-3 as a starter.

As it turns out, Prescott was quite prepared to play within the confines of a pro-style system. He learned it while in Starkville.

“I don’t know if the offense has anything to do with it,” Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen told Saturday Down South on Wednesday. “I think people put too much on that. Like Dak said, the Cowboys’ offense was basically the same offense we ran at Mississippi State, so I guess the Cowboys must run a spread-option offense then. He just said the similarities made the transition easier.”

Dobbs and Kelly both spent the overwhelming majority of their time operating out of the shotgun. So do some of the premier passers in the NFL, though. There are a growing number of pro schemes that incorporate spread-option elements.

“Tom Brady’s in the shotgun a lot,” Mullen said. “He’s pretty good. Aaron Rodgers seems to be back there a bunch, and he’s pretty good. So I think there’s a certain part of the fundamentals that work out that way, different techniques and things like that.”

A big part of what made Dobbs and Kelly successful at the college level was adding a running threat at the game’s most important position, although that’s not wise in the pros — defenders are simply too big and fast. Still, Prescott only ran the ball 57 times all season long in Big D. At MSU, he once ran it 26 times on a single Saturday.

Prescott needed to become a pocket passer with the ‘Boys. He did just that. It’s not crazy to think that Dobbs (below) and Kelly can do the same.

Jan 24, 2017; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad quarterback Josh Dobbs of Tennessee (11) drops back to throw during practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

PICK SIX

  • There was a noticeable difference in the pace of practice between the North team and South team. The North, coached by the Chicago Bears, spent what seemed like the first half hour doing nothing more than stretching. The South, coached by the Cleveland Browns, went straight into full-squad drills. Players on the South had a little more pep in their step as a result.
  • Auburn defensive back Rudy Ford didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice, presumably due to an injury suffered on Day 1. His former teammate with the Tigers, offensive tackle Robert Leff, was added to the South roster and on hand for the workout. Vanderbilt offensive tackle William Holden was en route to Mobile and should be available Thursday.
  • Ethan Pocic is listed at guard, just like he played at LSU. Jon Toth is listed at center, just liked he played at Kentucky. However, the two of them were subjected to a reversal of roles Wednesday. Pocic took a fair amount of reps at center, while Toth got just as much work at guard. Being versatile along the interior of the O-line will only help them in the draft.
  • LSU receiver Travin Dural seemed to struggle for the second day in a row. In one-on-one drills, he dropped a perfect back-shoulder throw from Dobbs along the right sideline. Later in 11-on-11 work, he was stripped and fumbled after reeling in an out route near the left sideline. Maybe there’s more to Dural’s disappointing senior campaign than mediocre quarterback play.
  • One of the obvious defensive standouts has been Florida linebacker Alex Anzalone. More often than not, be it defending the run or the pass, he’s around the football. Some players simply have an instinct for the game and are seemingly always in the right place at the right time. Anzalone appears to be one of those players. He’s earned high praise thus far.
  • Dobbs spent some time after Wednesday’s practice with a scout from the Detroit Lions. Pocic talked to representatives from the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens. Texas A&M receiver Josh Reynolds was chatted up by the Washington Redskins.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.