Quote:I'm just curious, and just asking a question because a respect your opinion.


Do you see Bridgewater as the only 'viable' franchise QB?


If not, who else would you consider?


What would you think about trading out of the top spot (assuming we get it) for more picks and also assuming we could stay in position for another franchise type QB?


I guess that's three questions.


My only problem with this whole 'tanking' thing is that it is all predicated on Bridgewater being heads above all other quarterbacks in this draft.

 

Only viable?  Not necessarily.  I guess it depends upon your definition of "viability."

 

I think he is the most pro ready now of all of the potential prospects, and based upon all I have seen in games and stories and read about him, I think he has the cerebral makeup to succeed at the NFL level.

 

Mariota has bigger physical upside, but I think he may need more refinement.  If a team is willing to be more patient and can provide him with the help he needs, he may pay off big down the road, but I'm not sure if this is the ideal environment for him (though you could argue he would better fit this environment than Bridgewater).

 

TBH, I haven't seen much of Carr or Fales.  I hate Manziel...have cooled signifcantly on Hundley, am back and forth on McCarron (like his moxie and clutch performance and overall winning record, but is he a product of the talent around him) and Murray.

 

If we had the top spot, I would only reluctantly consider trading out of the top spot for several reasons. 

 

First, many times when you trade down, what you get in return isn't worth what you would have netted had you stayed in place.  Seatlle famously traded down out of the #2 overall pick with Dallas in 1977.  Dallas wound up with Tony Dorsett.  After Elway refused to play for Irsay in Baltimore, they traded Elway to Denver for some players and picks.  T Chris Hinton was among those who wound up with the Colts.  However, none of those picks paid of as handsomely as Elway did for Denver.  More recently, the Rams had the #2 overall pick and traded it away to the Skins, who wound up with RGIII.  While RG III has had his problems returning from a serious knee injury, the fact is he DID turn around the Skins fortunes last year.  Meanwhile, the Rams still languish without a QB.

 

Continuing on that theme, I don't think in terms of draft choice compensation, we'd get what we might otherwise get in a different year.  According to many of the pundits, there are as many as 8-9 first round QB prospects (Bridgewater, Mariota, Manziel, Carr, Fales, Hundley, McCarron, and Murray-pre injury).  If this is a true reflection of scouts' feelings on this draft class, then QB needy teams may well be less inclined to deal up, and if they do trade up, they likely won't pay as much because of less demand and higher supply.

 

Based upon the above, I would be less inclined to trade down, even though we need help in many areas.

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