1) Houston Texans--It's such a surprise seeing this team holding the #1 pick. Last year they looked like a team a QB away from a Super Bowl run. Although they are still a QB away, they are also the worst team in the NFL (record wise). Former Penn State and New England Coach Bill O'Brien is now at the helm, and he's going to need to look for a new QB. Matt Schaub, TJ Yates and Case Keenum will probably be cut when the NFL Offseason begins, so Coach O'Brien is going to need to find a QB fast!
2) St. Louis Rams--This team is the exception to my earlier statement. St. Louis is on the rise, but thanks to Washington's biblical meltdown, they have the #2 pick. Although I'm not a Sam Bradford fan, I don't know if there is a QB in the draft that I'd rather have over him going into next season.
3) Jacksonville Jaguars--Coach Gus Bradley is going to go into year 2 of his tenure with Jacksonville with a starting QB not named Blaine Gabbert. Although there are Quarterbacks in the draft that I do like for Jacksonville, I would love to see them give former Arizona QB, Matt Scott, a try at the starting job.
4) Cleveland Browns--God this team is garbage! No coach, no starting QB, no direction! Right now it looks like New England Offensive Coordinator/ former Denver Head Coach, Josh McDaniels, will be taking the helm. If so I hope he doesn't waste a draft pick on a QB. All of these QBs are going to need time to develop and Cleveland is obviously looking for quick results. Hopefully Brian Hoyer can come back from injury and play the way he did before his injury. If not, Jason Campbell is your next best bet.
5) Oakland Raiders--Dennis Allen is a terrible coach and keeping him was a bad move. With that said, I don't think Oakland needs to take a QB here. Matt McGloin played good enough to earn a shot next year.
6) Atlanta Falcons--Like Houston I'm surprised they were THIS bad. The Falcons need help, but it's not at QB.
7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Greg Schiano out, Lovie Smith in. This team has talent, but the coaching was horrendous last year. Let Lovie build his defense here and give Mike Glennon another shot at the starting job. Worse comes to worse, we've seen Lovie win without a QB (Rex Grossman lol).
8) Minnesota Vikings--Matt Cassel is probably your best bet here. The Vikings lost a ton of close games last year and because of that they need to build up their defense. Cassel will be serviceable for now until they find someone better, but don't reach for someone here just to say you drafted a Quarterback (Christian Ponder).
9) Buffalo Bills--This team is going to be good. Injuries killed this team all year. No need for a QB here.
10) Detroit Lions--I don't like Matt Stafford, but I like him more than anyone in the draft.
THE SURE THING
Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater is unanimously being projected as the first player off the Board in this years draft. Of the 6 Mock Drafts I read (Todd McShay, 2 from CBS, 2 from Draftbreakdown.com, BleacherReport and WalterFootball.com) they all had him going first overall. If he goes first overall I have a strong feeling that he'll be a bust. If you're expecting him to come in and dominate like an Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, etc. then you'd be wrong. Don't get me wrong though, he has the potential to be a great player in the league, but if he is asked to do too much he might go down as one of the biggest draft busts of all time.
His accuracy isn't up to NFL standards. Although his passes are rarely out of reach, he consistently floats his passes high, which is going to get his receivers killed. You're not going to make many friends with your receiving core if you constantly leave them out to dry with high passes. He also doesn't have a great feel for the pocket. There are times when he feels phantom pressure and there are times when he doesn't even realize he's about to be killed. Pocket Presence is a terribly underrated skill and not having it can turn a QB with good physical skills into a bust (Blaine Gabbert).
The Best Place He Could Land:
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| Vikings QB Matt Cassel |
The best place for Teddy Bridgewater to end up is Minnesota. If the coaching staff can block out the demands of the fan-base and allow Teddy to learn for at least a year under Cassel, then he'll be golden.
THE RISK
Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is the most well known QB in this draft. Johnny Football is being seen as a risk right now because the scouts aren't sure if his game will translate to the NFL. This is showing in the Mock Drafts. Of the 6, he went as high as #3 to Jacksonville and all the way out of the 1st round in another one.
I'll admit that I'm a little weary about Johnny. It seems like he likes to leave the pocket a little too much, which I don't mind, but he isn't as fast as guys like Michael Vick and RG III. So don't expect his speed to kill anyone in the NFL. If anything he should scramble like Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers, rarely but timely.
Another thing that scares me is that it seems like he was babied in Texas A&M. He doesn't go through all of his progressions or the playbook is only asking him to use half of the field. In order to be an elite QB, you need to be able to sit in the pocket and dissect a defense using all of your progressions and the whole field. But even with all of his faults I think he is the best QB in the draft. He is extremely accurate, keeps his eyes downfield, and above all, he is a winner.
The Best Place He Could Land:
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| New Houston Texan Head Coach Bill O'Brien |
Although I don't think he is worthy of the #1 overall pick, his best spot would be in Houston. Bill O'Brien is a good coach and he'll create a simple offense in which Johnny can prosper. In Houston Johnny would be surrounded by two elite playmakers in Arian Foster and Andre Johnson and an up-and-coming receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. Johnny can be exactly what Houston needs to get back to where they were in 2012.
THE NEW GIRL
If you haven't been following NFL draft talk then you might not know who this guy is. The man shown above is UCF QB Blake Bortles. Over the last few weeks this man has caught fire on draft sites. In the Mock Drafts, many people have him going as high as #3 to Jacksonville and others are even claiming that he is the best QB in this years draft.
Don't buy into it. Although he looks the part of future great NFL QB, it doesn't mean that he is. At 6'4/230 this kid is easy to fall in love with. He gives each play his all, even if that means trucking over a defender on a run. He's got great arm strength and great accuracy. But where he really lacks is in his mechanics. His release is below average, his footwork is garbage and he stares down receivers. This is going to lead to A LOT of turnovers early in his career. I really wanted him to go back to school for another year to work on his mechanics but as of today he is entering the draft. Although he has the physical abilities to be a great player, I think his mechanics are too poor for him to be an elite player at the next level.
The Best Place He Could Land:
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| Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley |
Gus Bradley needs to take a page out of his former Head Coach Pete Carrol's playbook. Pete Carrol has built a team around speed and an offense built around limiting mistakes. Coach Bradley can use Blake Bortles natural skills as a playmaker right out of the gate. Bortles is pretty good at running the option and he runs hard. If Bradley can use Bortles option skills and limit his passes as he coaches him up than Blake can be a really good QB. I still don't think he'll ever be elite, but he can definitely reach the level below it.
So there you have it. The first post is now in the books. The next one will be out Wednesday/Thursday. Have a good week everyone!
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