With the 2014 post-season bowl games and NFL Combine in the books, draft season is in full swing. The last stretch of the process is upon us. Only pro-days remain. With just over two months until the coveted event, eDraft’s staff cummulative post-combine quarterback rankings are in.
As a whole, the 2014 quarterback class is solid, but that being said, it is a “buyer beware” class. Outside of Bridgewater, few of these players are anywhere near their max potential. That means that, although they have the potential to be elite, they have a lot of work to do in order to reach that ceiling and they may never do so. Regardless, teams need quarterbacks to win and these seven will come flying off the board.
1. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
While it does appear that Bridgewater is already closest to his ceiling, it is a superb ceiling. Bridgewater’s intelligence, mental toughness, and and refined mechanics make for a prospect that plays like a 10-year NFL veteran. No stage is too big for Bridgewater, nor is any stage too small. He brings his A-game everywhere and proves that he is the leader of his team.
There are questions about his arm strength, but such concerns are absurd. His intermediate velocity is one of the most impressive in this class. Although, it appears that the concerns root from his deep accuracy issues, which root from a weight transfer issue. It is assumed that since he tends to miss deep passes that he has arm strength issues. In reality, his arch and velocity on deep passes is fine, but his weight transfer ends up causing issues with accuracy.
Even though he has somewhat of a weight transfer issue, Bridgewater is by far the most refined passer in this class. His footwork is precise and efficient. He does not waste any movement, especially on rollouts. He sets his feet correctly when stepping into throws and his release is just fine.
With no intention to discredit the other quarterbacks in this class, Bridgewater is clearly the top passer and will become a top ten quarterback at the next level.
2. Derek Carr, Fresno State
Carr’s most obvious trait is his arm strength. He shows stunning velocity on all levels of the field and can drop a bomb 50 yards down the field without even setting his feet. Such velocity allows him to squeeze the ball into windows that most quarterbacks would not have a chance to fit.
To a lesser extent than Bridgewater, Carr is a smart passer. He uses his eyes well to create illusions and create space for his receivers. While Dave Schramm’s system does not allow him to prove that often, he certainly can, especially against zone coverages.
Unfortunately, Carr’s footwork deficiencies may be fatal. His inability to step into throws leads to inaccuracy over the middle of the field and restricts his deep ball, a deep ball that has potential to be elite.
Low key, Carr is a good athlete, he just chooses not to run unless necessary. Add that to his phenomenal arm strength and his potential is clear.
3. Blake Bortles, Central Florida
No quarterback in this class is farther from their ceiling, yet no other quarterback has as high of a ceiling. On the outside, Bortles looks the part. He’s tall, bulky, and athletic, much like a younger Ben Roethlisberger. Although, he has issues that hold him back.
Like too many other prospects, Bortles has poor footwork. It is sloppy and uncoordinated. Rarely does Bortles set his feet for a throw. More often than not, he will throw from whatever stance he is already in. Such issues lead to inconsistencies in Bortles’ velocity and accuracy. On a tangent to his footwork, his upper body movement is poor. He struggles transferring his weight to his front foot and when interior pressure is coming, he leans away and throws anyway.
Now, Bortles has certain undeniable qualities that lead many to thinking he can still succeed. His pocket presence is impeccable. He senses the pressure and adjusts to the situation, scrambles, fires, and hits his man. When moving, he throws well. Likewise, he can throw from any platform without his accuracy seeing a drop off. Yet, as stated, his footwork will cause those accuracy issues. Nonetheless, Bortles potential is a step under Andrew Luck’s and he could become something special.
4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Few prospects in recent memory are as polarizing as Manziel. For every reason to doubt him, there is a reason to believe in him. He often gets labeled as an unpolished passer, which, to an extent, he is, but he is more polished than given credit for.
Other than Bridgewater, no quarterback manipulates defenses like Manziel. He is a safety’s worst nightmare. He will hold safeties one way by looking over there, then quickly turn and fire to his true intended target, not allowing the safety enough time to make a play. Similarly, his scrambling ability disrupts defenses and opens up his receivers.
Despite being as highly touted as he is, his accuracy goes underrated. While lazy footwork leads to inconsistencies in the department, when he is “on,” no quarterback outside of Bridgewater is more accurate.
Manziel’s instincts and athleticism are simply unteachable. As of now, his pocket presence is a bit antsy, but he handles the rush well and has shown that he can handle pressure. If he can be tamed just a bit, he will translate well to the NFL.
5. David Fales, San Jose State
Fales’ arm strength is put under the microscope, but in reality, it is less restrictive than often said. When throwing intermediate and deep passes, Fales’ proper footwork and upper body movement allows him to drive the ball downfield well and hit his target. The natural arm strength problem is only relevant on shorter passes when he gets lazy with his footwork and body movement. Those passes end up off target more often than the average quarterback.
On the intermediate and deep levels of the field, Fales’ accuracy is superb. He anticipates when his receiver will be open and delivers the pass so that the ball arrives when the receiver has the most room to function and catch the ball.
While he will not run for 60 yard chunks like Robert Griffin III, Fales has the athleticism to extent plays or pick up short chunks of yardage, if need be. When mobile, he consistently keeps his eyes downfield and searches for a target. Few quarterbacks possess such trait at the college level.
Although his upside is not superb, he is one of the “safer” quarterbacks, for lack of a better term. That being said, he can be a solid starter in the league.
6. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
Garoppolo’s tools are intriguing, but some of his hindrances may be too much to overcome.
His velocity is one of the most impressive in the class. His decisiveness, jittery feet, and quick release along with his velocity allows Garoppolo’s passing style to be summed up in a single word: quickness. That makes him a perfect fit for a system like Chip Kelly’s had Nick Foles not had such a good year.
Although, some of his issues are glaring. Garoppolo’s jittery feet play into his tentativeness toward pass rushers. Often times, he refuses to step around them and instead panics. He will immediately move out of the pocket and force himself into a bad situation.
He also struggles reading the field. No other quarterback struggles to see underneath defenders and poaching defensive backs as much as Garoppolo does.
That being said, when Garoppolo makes the right choice, his accuracy is generally on-point, especially on the intermediate level.
Despite his deficiencies, Garoppolo’s tools are worth a Day 2 investment.
7. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
While he does have top shelf arm strength, it is often overblown to the extent that it is said he has elite arm strength. On the intermediate level, maybe so. His velocity there is quite impressive and rivaled by few. Although, when going deep, his passes float and forces his receivers to put forth more effort to track it down.
His pocket presence is odd. Mettenberger struggles to sense the pressure, but when he does, he handles it quite well and moves into the pocket to make a throw. He also has no issues staring interior pressure in the face and delivering a pass. Essentially, his pocket presence can be argued as both a positive and a negative.
As of now, Mettenberger does little by himself. His two receivers (Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.) are so talented that he has built up an overflow of confidence that has cost him before. He will refuse to look away from his first read, force the throw, and then watch a defender run down the field after he has intercepted that pass.
His most hindering flaw is his footwork. When setting his feet, he does not really have issues. During his drops and pocket maneuvering, his feet are terribly slow and have led to many plays failing to be executed on time.
His arm strength is promising, but he will have to show huge strides of improvement before he can be taken seriously as a possible NFL starter.