Michigan's Primary Weakness Will Expose Shea Patterson for Better or Worse

NFL scouts and college football fans expecting to see either the next Heisman Winner or No. 1 overall pick were left a little bit underwhelmed after watching Shea Patterson's first year in Michigan. While he wasn't terrible by any stretch (64 percent completion, 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions), his struggles against the best in the Big Ten were worry-some.

Patterson faces an even bigger challenge this year, as he will be without 2018 starting running back Karan Higdon, as he is now a Houston Texan, and backup Chris Evans, who won't play in 2019 after some academic issues.

This will force Jim Harbaugh to open up the playbook and air it out downfield more often. This year, we're going to see if Patterson can cut it with his arm.

While the combination of three monstrous wideouts in Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black and Nico Collins is as good as it gets in all of college football outside of Tuscaloosa, Patterson will have to deal with the third string running back and a new scheme, as new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is sure to shake things up.

We know Patterson can play at this level. He's proven that. The questions surrounding him relate to his ability to either win an individual trophy, take a team to a championship, or distinguish himself in the eyes of NFL scouts. In 2019, he will have an opportunity to either prove all his doubters wrong or fall flat on his face.