Player: Blake Bortles
First Round, Third Pick from Central Florida
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
NFL Draft Scouting Report
Projected Role as a Rookie
Indications out of Jaguars camp are that they plan to sit Bortles for his entire rookie season. While this is a great long-term plan for a franchise looking to rebound from years as a bottom feeder, it's not going to make fans in Jacksonville too happy. In addition to that, fantasy owners looking for some production from the quarterback position here aren't going to be able to rely on Chad Henne.
With that said, head coach Gus Bradley has indicated that he will give Bortles some first-team reps during training camp. If he is extremely impressive, there is a small chance that he sees the field as a rookie should the Jaguars struggle under Henne.
Supporting Cast
Jacksonville has the most talent on offense it has seen in quite some time. Toby Gerhart should be a major force in the backfield after backing up Adrian Peterson in Minnesota for the past four seasons. Rookies Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee promise to be starter-caliber receivers at some point in the not-so-distant future. And Cecil Shorts is a damn good wide receiver.
This doesn't even take into account an offensive line that is molded for the future and a true offensive weapon in the form of Denard Robinson. Even if Justin Blackmon never plays another snap for the Jaguars, they have a darn good mix of skill-position players on offense. That will help Bortles whenever he takes over.
Fantasy Strengths and Weaknesses
Outside of being a wide-eyed rookie at the quarterback position, Bortles major weakness comes down to the fact that he likely won't see action as a rookie. This limits him to nothing more than a long-term option in dynasty leagues...someone most of us might pick up to place on the taxi squad for the duration of the 2014 season.
Even when Bortles does take over (likely 2015), he is still going to be a young quarterback in a scheme that will likely depend more on the running game than fantasy owners are comfortable with. This will limit his second-year production.
In terms of strengths, there are a lot of those. Bortles has a ridiculously strong arm and high ceiling. He's going to be surrounded by a ton of talent, which should help him make the transition to being a starter at the highest level.
Dynasty Forecast
As I mentioned above, Bortles' ceiling is incredibly high. While it's highly likely that Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater will be better long-term options, we can expect Bortles to be right there with them three or four years down the road, especially if the Jaguars continue to build a strong supporting cast. He's still someone you don't really want to rely on as a QB2 option until the 2015 season at the earliest.