With Winston, Mariota picked, Bryce Petty ready to launch into NFL

Jameis Winston went No. 1 as expected. Marcus Mariota followed at No. 2, just as the experts predicted.

Now it's Bryce Petty's time.

Whether the former Baylor quarterback and two-time Big 12 champ will be selected during Friday's second and third rounds or if he'll have to wait until Saturday isn't certain. What is certain is Petty's ready to break into the NFL and lead a team.

Petty will be glued to his television from his home in Midlothian, Texas.

"It’s come to the point now where all the hard work and dedication are coming to fruition,” Petty told the Waco Tribune-Herald. “It’s a little nerve-wracking and it’s exciting. I’ve been talking to some teams but it’s just nuts right now. I’ve heard I’ll go in the top 50 picks but who the heck knows?”

Petty hurt his back early in the season and missed some time. Overall he had another strong season, although his senior year didn't build on his stock as Petty had hoped. He entered 2014 as a potential Heisman candidate, but that didn't materialize.

Instead Mariota took the Heisman, following up on Winston winning it the year before.

But in five years, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound, strong-armed Petty believes people will be talking about him as the best of the three.

"I think you have to feel that way,” Petty said. “If you don’t feel that way, you need to find a new position. Especially when you get to this level, they want to find something wrong about you. So you’ve got to give them something to talk more about than your play, I guess.”

(h/t Waco Tribune-Herald)

Photo Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports