Blake Bortles

 

Here's his reasoning:

 

He doesn't believe they truly want Clowney because he doesn't necessarily fit what they do on defense.  He believes the franchise thinks it was a QB away from contention and that's what they'll be targeting.

 

So, why Bortles?

 

O'Leary was mentor to O'Brien.

O'Brien was beaten by Bortles led UCF on his home turf, and raved about Bortles performance.

O'Brien recruited and started a big QB at PSU.

 

John felt that if they wanted to fill seats, they would be looking at Manziel - but that's not what they need.  Added that Jacksonville might be a good place for him to go, and that his challenge is meeting teams face to face and ensuring them his lifestyle isn't going to be a liability.

 

He didn't put Bridgewater in the equation, said a QB selection would likely be between the other two.  IMO, his opinion suggested to me that Bortles appeared to have the "in" because of the ties between the coaches and preference for a larger QB.

 

I don't necessarily agree with him but he makes a compelling argument, with such strong ties between O'Brien and O'Leary.  That, of course, would also depend on if O'Leary is selling Bortles to O'Brien and how much input he'll have in the war room.

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