MOBILE | In so many ways, the week belonged to Jake Coker.

Fresh off a national championship season at Alabama in which he went undefeated as the starting quarterback, Coker didn’t have to go far to participate as one of the four quarterbacks on the Senior Bowl’s South roster.

Coker grew up in Mobile, went to high school in Mobile and came home to Mobile to the cheers of his fellow Port City residents during practice all week at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Now Coker continues his workouts with his personal quarterback coach David Morris at QB Country as he prepares for the NFL Draft.

The goal is to get drafted and develop as a back-up quarterback in the NFL.

“I want to go out there and prove I can play in this league,” Coker said.

Working with the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff, Coker spent the week working on his mechanics, mainly his footwork and getting rid of the ball quicker, while also interviewing with several NFL clubs.

He said he hasn’t received any feedback on whether he’ll be drafted or what round he could be drafted, saying instead he’s trying to avoid those discussions as they are distractions.

This week was all about making progress.

“Mainly the coaches have just been talking about my foot work and just staying prepared to throw the football,” Coker said. “Keeping my base in the correct alignment, making sure that I have my base and I’m ready to throw the ball.

“Mainly my footwork. That’s the main thing. Putting me through situations where I have to react quickly. That’s something I have to work on, reacting quicker. Putting me in uncomfortable situations.”

The Executive Director of the Senior Bowl Phil Savage said Coker has plenty of arm strength to play professionally, but his lack of relative experience is a hold back.

“You can tell at the end of the season that Jake wanted to keep playing,” Savage said. “He was finally getting to play and you can tell he wanted to keep going.

“Jake’s a big man. He’s got a strong arm. He’s more athletic than people think. Does he need to clean up some things from a technique standpoint, quicker feet, quicker release, quicker eyes? Absolutely.

“What he needs is for somebody to take the time to work with him. That’s the rub in the NFL right now. You don’t see as much development with players are you once did. He needs a team who is willing to see where he is a year from now. The drawback is he’s only played one season. Let's see where he is in 12 to 18 months.”

Coker threw for 23 yards on 3 of 8 passing with one rush for eight yards during Saturday’s Senior Bowl.

He received some advice from former Florida State quarterbacks/teammates. E.J. Manuel gave him a few tips and he got a phone call from Jameis Winston after the national championship game. Both are currently in the NFL.

UA head coach Nick Saban is also in his corner.

"Jake did a great job for us all year long. He improved, he never got frustrated,” Saban said. “I think he won the team over in the Ole Miss game with the way he competed in the game and once that happened, he started to develop confidence and the team developed confidence in him and I think he did a really good job for us.

“He can certainly make all the throws. He hasn't played that much football, which is, I think, one of the reasons he did improve as much as he did, based on his experience. So I think he has a future and he certainly did a great job for us.”

Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.