Reading this thread makes me wish I tried to get back here after Round 1 was completed because I can't quote enough posters. Next year I will watch the draft online so I don't have to play catch-up in a 19-page thread.

 

First of all, I will never understand why anybody thinks just because the Bills gave the Browns two 2015 picks, they offered the same deal to us. It also is stupid to say the Jaguars certainly would not have missed out on Blake Bortles at #9 just because the Browns, Raiders, and Vikings put off picking their quarterbacks. There is no way the Jaguars could have known what those teams would have done if Bortles was still available. The idea that we reached on Bortles does not make sense either because the media talked about him as a possible #1 pick. What really happened was the Falcons tried to trade up and we listened, then told them no out of fear either the Browns or Raiders would have picked Bortles if he was available. I never read anything about the Bills calling us first, then giving the Browns two 2015 picks because we said no, as some message board posters seem to assume.

 

On Bortles being the next Blaine Gabbert: Where did you guys get that idea from? UCF does not run the shotgun-heavy spread offense nearly as much as Missouri did. I only read two comparisons: big guy and developmental player. Nobody ever said they play the same way or have the same bad habits. You all know Gabbert needs what he could never get in Jacksonville: a pass-first offense run by an offensive-minded coach, better players around him, and a chance to be the backup for a while. Bortles? Just give him a year on the bench in an environment where there is no pressure to start right away, draft some more offensive players, and keep the same coaching staff for more than one year and he will be OK. Plus he was not drafted during a lockout and has the full benefit of rookie minicamps, OTAs, etc. to speed up his development, so he could start his career on the right paw.

 

Everybody who wanted Johnny Manziel has not been paying attention. Gus Bradley said he wants humility along with the confidence, implying Manziel does not have that trait. He also said Manziel is a bad fit for our offense IIRC. Manziel himself publicly stated he hopes the Jaguars don't pick him. Mockers thought he would be a good fit for the Jaguars only because of the excitement factor in a city that needs it, not his playing style matching Bradley's offense. We did not want Tim Tebow, the guy people like comparing Manziel to as a quarterback. The media hyped up Manziel the whole time because he is a polarizing figure and Heisman Trophy winner who played in the SEC  (like Tebow) without ever saying it would be stupid if Bortles is picked first. Nobody ever said Manziel is our best option for returning to the playoffs because he is not.

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