In my opinion he was reached at #3. Franchise QBs prospects -- Stafford, Newton, RG3 and Luck -- are normally those who were raved about by the national media. The problem with this class was that the opinions were all varied; there was no consensus top QB.


Before their pro day, it was TB. After the pro day, Manziel was the #1 guy according to the many pundits at NFL.com. The people at Sports illustrated still rank TB #1, Manziel #2, and Bortles #3. The ESPN guys (Kiper and McShay) had Manziel their #1 guy. Pretty much it was all a toss up. What they all agreed on was that no QB was ranked in their top 10 or 15 overall ranking.


While we all assumed that Bortles would be drafted in the top 10 if we did not take him, we just don't know for sure if that was the case. And when Manziel and TB fell to the late first round, then I was concerned that we might have overreached Bortles.


Regardless what will happen from until the end of next season, Bortles intern/redshirt his rookie year, depending on how Henne perform. We will know the answer two years from now if he's truly the guy for us.

But we do know for certain that Manziel and Bridgewater weren't taken in the Top 10.  We also know that Bridgewater's pro-day was bad enough to drop his draft status. There were plenty of QB needy teams that passed on them.  Bridgewater would have likely fallen out of the 1st if Norv Turner hadn't fallen in love with him, thinking he was the best QB in the class.  I think we can safely say even if Bortles hadn't been picked in the Top 10, he'd be picked in the 1st round.  

 

The media is often behind on who teams really like.  Geno Smith wasn't the first QB picked either.  Unless it's an obvious choice, they're probably wrong.  

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

But we do know for certain that Manziel and Bridgewater weren't taken in the Top 10.  We also know that Bridgewater's pro-day was bad enough to drop his draft status. There were plenty of QB needy teams that passed on them.  Bridgewater would have likely fallen out of the 1st if Norv Turner hadn't fallen in love with him, thinking he was the best QB in the class.  I think we can safely say even if Bortles hadn't been picked in the Top 10, he'd be picked in the 1st round.  

 

The media is often behind on who teams really like.  Geno Smith wasn't the first QB picked either.  Unless it's an obvious choice, they're probably wrong.  

 

We will know in 3 years exactly what order the top 3 QB's from the 2014 NL draft sould have been taken, maybe even sooner.

 

It will be interesting following all 3 to see how it all shakes out. Heck, there may even be another QB or so from this class that emerges into someone who should have been taken somewhere around where these QB's were taken, if not sooner.

 

We'll see.

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I survived the Gus Bradley Error.

Because of his prototypical size, I can understand why most GMs would rather gamble on Bortles than the other two; strangely enough, Bortles lacks the elite arm strength that past elite QB prospects naturally have. 

 

I also understand why people questioned whether TB has what it takes to be the face of a franchise.  If you watch his interviews, you can tell that he understands football, but he is camera shy, which is something you don't expect a young franchise QB to be.  He's still very young -- only 21 -- so he probably hasn't develop that skill yet, which is understandable since Louisville is a small school he didn't have to do press conferences often.  

 

Manziel, on the other hand, just exudes confidence, and he has that star persona to him.  This is an area where he has both TB and Bortles beat.  Even then, teams just can't gamble on him in the early to mid first round.  He comes with a lot of questions.  Honestly, if not for Russell Wilson's success, I don't think Manziel would have been drafted in the first round.

 

Honestly, I just don't know what to think of this draft class.  Is it mediocre or solid but not good enough?  The opinions are just all over the place.  Even a certain pundit on NFL.com said that Carr was the safest QB prospect.  Only time will tell.

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If he were .3 faster in the 40 he'd be a slightly less polished Andrew Luck.

 

I recall a couple of months ago I said I'd be good with the Jaguars taking him.

 

http://jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/top.../?p=143201

Bortles is an inch taller and a couple pounds heavier than Luck so that makes up for the slower 40.

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"A man with no sauce is lost.

<p style="text-align:center;">But that same man can get lost in the sauce."

tell that too Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Kap, Wilson, Warner, Dalton, Flacco.. Shall I go on?

Actually, I think when you are including Dalton in a franchise QB conversation it is time to stop...past time to stop. 

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Actually, I think when you are including Dalton in a franchise QB conversation it is time to stop...past time to stop. 

KY, I thought you'd be off to the Vikings board by now!

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Fix the O-Line!

One of the points I like most about this is what Caldwell said about him being their guy since October. I personally was adverse to Bortles before the draft because #1 I felt like he was a product of pre draft hype (because of his meteoric rise) and #2 Because he wasnt ready and I felt like we was going to start him from day 1.


But now


#1 Like you said Caldwell and all our scouts had this guy since October so like you said it was an overlooked observation earlier in the year and not a meteoric rise.

#2 They have said they will sit him for the better part of a year which I think he needs.


These 2 points are completely contradictory of the Gene Smith era in my opinion, which is what gives me hope.


Also like you pointed out, he met the 26/27/60 rule which I like.

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Ignore the Blaine Gabbert part I saw he did actually have the starts ^^.


But again, Gabbert needed to sit a year and didnt.


Whose to say the player he could of become?

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Some players have what it takes to play in this league, others don't. So it doesn't matter if sitting out can help him long term or not. Stafford didn't sit, and his first year was terrible, but that didn't stop him from being productive later on. Locker sat his rookie year, and he's still not good now.


Gabbert just didn't have what it takes to play in this league. Watching him tilt his body backward and throw off balance because he was so afraid of getting hit was painful to see on t.v.

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Did anyone see what Caldwell said after the draft interview? Someone asked "Do you think having Storm Johnson here will take pressure off Blake because he will have a familiar face with him?" and Caldwell said "I think having Blake here will take pressure off Storm. Blake is a leader."

 

What a great answer.

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Shock the world

Did anyone see what Caldwell said after the draft interview? Someone asked "Do you think having Storm Johnson here will take pressure off Blake because he will have a familiar face with him?" and Caldwell said "I think having Blake here will take pressure off Storm. Blake is a leader."

 

What a great answer.

 

 

Yeah, the notion that a guy pegged to be the franchise QB needs a security blanket coming into the league is silly. 

 

That was the right way to respond to that question.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Is it the delicious cinnamon swirls in every bite?

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THERE IS A SKELETON INSIDE OF YOU.

 

RIGHT NOW. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

An interesting thought with Gabbert and the 26/27/60 rule:


While Gabbert may have met the conditions, his sophomore year was nowhere close.  

 

I'm actually surprised nobody's suggested adding YPA to the 26/27/60 rule.  Maybe it could evolve to the 8/26/27/60 rule.  8.0 is a good starting point, because Peyton's YPA for his college career was 8.1.  Of course it's just a guideline anyway, and doesn't mean much  


Gabbert would not meet the 8.0 YPA average, as his average in college was 7.3.  Bortles was 8.5.

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I was wrong about Trent Baalke. 

The 26/27/60 rule is stupid.

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Because of his prototypical size, I can understand why most GMs would rather gamble on Bortles than the other two; strangely enough, Bortles lacks the elite arm strength that past elite QB prospects naturally have.


I also understand why people questioned whether TB has what it takes to be the face of a franchise. If you watch his interviews, you can tell that he understands football, but he is camera shy, which is something you don't expect a young franchise QB to be. He's still very young -- only 21 -- so he probably hasn't develop that skill yet, which is understandable since Louisville is a small school he didn't have to do press conferences often.


Manziel, on the other hand, just exudes confidence, and he has that star persona to him. This is an area where he has both TB and Bortles beat. Even then, teams just can't gamble on him in the early to mid first round. He comes with a lot of questions. Honestly, if not for Russell Wilson's success, I don't think Manziel would have been drafted in the first round.


Honestly, I just don't know what to think of this draft class. Is it mediocre or solid but not good enough? The opinions are just all over the place. Even a certain pundit on NFL.com said that Carr was the safest QB prospect. Only time will tell.

you don't have Imto have elite arm strength to be a franchise QB plus if he fixes his mechanics his arm really won't be as much of a problem. Watching his pro day Bortles showed me he has plenty of arm strength but I think it's more of an issue of his mechanics/foot work.

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expectations after being selected third overall.  nothing else has made him anything.  he is still a rookie that hasn't played a single snap in the NFL.

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Hopefully Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell

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