2014 NFL Draft: Ranking the Quarterbacks, Post Senior Bowl Edition

By Vincent Frank on Sunday, January 26th 2014
2014 NFL Draft: Ranking the Quarterbacks, Post Senior Bowl Edition

1. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville (Top-five pick) 

There are some who have concluded that Bridgewater's draft stock has fallen. I am not exactly too sure where they got that from. What are we seeing on tape right now that we didn't see two months ago? It's more likely that the armchair scouting community is over-analyzing Bridgewater's tape, which can lead to a lot of issues in the long run. 

Here is what we do have. 

At 6'3" and 218, Bridgewater has a lean frame and will have to add weight in order to deal with the day-to-day rigors of playing NFL football. He is, however, about as skilled as they come. He has both the accuracy and arm strength to be a top-tier starter in the NFL. Add into the mix above-average field recognition, decent mechanics and the ability to escape pressure on the pocket,  and you have an elite draft prospect. 

 

2. Derek Carr, Fresno State (Top-10 Pick) 

Carr has a few things he needs to work on in order to become a starter-caliber quarterback at the next level. He needs to be able to anticipate pressure that's coming from the outside.

Too often, Carr struggles seeing oncoming pass rushers, which disables his ability to make more than one read down the field. Carr also tends to fall back when he sees pressure up the middle. This takes zip off the ball and could lead to some interceptions at the next level. 

Armed with a strong arm and incredible down field accuracy, Carr fits well in a vertical passing system. The Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, both of whom are in need of a young signal caller come to mind. He also does a solid job going through his progressions and possesses plus accuracy on intermediate routes. This means that he's not scheme dependent. 

 

3. Blake Bortles, Central Florida (Top-20 Pick) 

Likely one of four quarterbacks to get first-round play leading up to the draft in May, Bortles is an intriguing prospect. He didn't hit the mainstream scouting community until late in the season at Central Florida, but has been low-key impressing for quite some time now. At 6'4" and 229, Bortles has prototypical size, especially is he adds a couple of pounds in the offseason. 

Bortles possesses a quick release from under center, which can help him overcome lackluster offensive line play. While he does tend to stare down his No. 1 target, he has the ability to go through his progressions. The issue here is that Bortles rarely goes back to his primary after looking him off. That has to be fixed. In terms of pure skill sets, Bortles has a strong arm and has above-average accuracy on intermediate routes. He does tend to struggle in that aspect of the game when targeting receivers further down the field. 

 

4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (Late First-Round Pick) 

Manziel's tape has started to grow on me a great deal. At 6'1", the former Heisman Trophy Award Winner obviously isn't an ideal size for the NFL, but that really can't be held against him. Going up against the best competition that college football has to offer in the SEC, Manziel simply got the job done. At some point, you just throw out the tape and look at someone as a football player. That's exactly what Manziel is. 

Not only is Manziel quick and elusive in the pocket, he does a solid job side stepping pressure and releasing the ball relatively quick when defenders get in his face. While Manziel doesn't possess a rocket arm, he can make every throw in the NFL route tree, which is all that matters. As to where I value Manziel as a late first-round option, he'll likely end up going in the top 10. 

 

5. Zach Mettenberger, Louisiana State (Second-Round Pick) 

A torn ACL has really hurt Mett's draft stock. Instead of competing in the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine, he's on the sideline rehabbing.

All scouts really have to go on at this point is his tape from LSU over the past two seasons and the off-field issues that saw him get forced out at Georgia. 

In terms of skill set, Mettenberger is what every scout looks for in a quarterback.

At 6'5" and 230, he has the size to stand in the pocket and deliver a strong ball.

He doesn't only have the capability to make every throw on the field, Mettenberger likely has the strongest arm in the entire draft. There, however, remains a ton of issues with mechanics, accuracy and pocket awareness. Mettenberger is definitely not a Day 1 starter. 

 

6. David Fales, San Jose State (Second-Round Pick) 

An intriguing Day 2 prospect, Fales didn't get a whole lot of play in college due to playing on the west coast at a small school. With that said, Fales' accuracy, arm strength and throwing motion makes him a sexy option to be one of the biggest steals come May. 

Overall, there isn't a lot not to like about Foles. He has a quick throwing motion, anticipates pressure and can read defenses extremely well. He does need to work on throwing off his back foot and accuracy outside the hashes past the intermediate route plateau. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the second round. 

 

Other Notables 

7. Brett Smith, Wyoming (Third-Round Pick)

8. Aaron Murray, Georgia (Fourth-Round Pick) 

9. Tajh Boyd, Clemson (Fourth-Round Pick) 

10. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois (Fourth-Round Pick) 

11. A.J. McCarron, Alabama (Fifth-Round Pick) 

12. Jeff Matthews, Cornell (Sixth-Round Pick) 

13. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (Sixth-Round Pick) 

14. Keith Price, Washington (Seventh-Round Pick) 

15. Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois (Seventh-Round Pick) 

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