Quote:I simply don't see it, but that's me. He works well in that particular offense, which seems to scheme guys open, against that particular level of competition... but then so have other college QBs in the same system.
I would expect someone so much "better" than his peers to have fared better against them as far as awards and rankings, which he doesn't top any list... except those that think he's the best of the crop.
It's only my opinion, but I don't think he's the best of the crop and think there's a good chance he's not the first QB off the board. I just can't see an owner giving the keys to the franchise to a QB with such a slight build and production that may not be duplicated at the NFL level. Just looking at him, he's got the lean build of a speed back or WR. Something just doesn't add up to me and never has. There are rumors that his small hands and use of gloves creep out some scouts, too. I don't see him or any other QB in this draft as some slam dunk, head and shoulders above the rest candidate. They all have question marks/flags that are significant IMO.
That's a fair opinion, and every prospect in this draft has some concerns. But remember this when you judge Bridgewater:
1. Yes, he has some concern with his thin body frame, but he's not your stereotypical read option QB. He can move around inside the pocket, so he'll be fine. Unless he is overwhelmingly underweight -- like at 180-ish lb. -- I don't see why this is even a problem.
2. Based on his initial expectations: a Heisman favorite, go undefeated and putting up huge numbers this year. Yes, he didn't really "deliver" in that sense, especially after Louisville lost to UCF. Sometimes it doesn't go as plan throughout the course of the season, but the important thing is that he didn't let Louisville slip their season away like Geno Smith did for his WV team. (Another reason why I'm so confused with the Geno comparison). They went 12-1, and he put on one of his best performance against a team once ranked in the top 10.
3. While you can criticize him for not putting up huge numbers in a sub-par conference, I dont know why you never consider that the talents around him are mediocre at best, if that. Louisville second best player, DeVante Parker, has decided to return to school even though his QB and coach are leaving; Parker, most likely, received a poor grade by the advisory committee and was encouraged to stay. In fact, I don't think there is even another player on that Louisville roster who has a mid-round grade.
4. The type of offense that he ran at Louisville is one of the reason why scouts graded him higher than the other QBs in this class. Yes, there is no "Wow" factor from him, but this is because he's your classic drop back passer -- this is required at the NFL level.
5. Going into this college season, he was ranked as the best QB in this class and the second ranked player overall after Clowney. Now that the college season just ended, he is still ranked as the top QB and is in the top 5-7 players overall ranked player in this coming draft. Out of all the top ranked players, he has the best chance of being drafted #1; compare to what was expected of him, he didnt disappoint anyone.
