Player: Teddy Bridgewater
First Round, 32nd Pick from Louisville
Team: Minnesota Vikings
NFL Draft Scouting Report
Projected Role as a Rookie
Bridgewater's role will depend on how he performs in training camp later this summer. He's going to be competing with veteran Matt Cassel for the starting job and whoever comes out on top during the summer will be starting Week 1.
In terms of competition, Cassel threw 11 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions in six starts last season. He's nothing more than a marginal starter at this point. If Bridgewater impresses, he will go ahead and win that starting gig out of the gate.
Even if Cassel does win the starting gig, there is a good chance that Bridgewater will find himself starting at some point during the season. It's all about how Cassel may perform as a starter and what direction the Vikings season is heading. If they are out of it relatively early, there is no reason to believe that they will not turn to Bridgewater at some point.
Supporting Cast
Of all the rookie quarterbacks, Bridgewater has the best supporting cast. And it's not even that close. Adrian Peterson is a generational talent at running back and one of the top-five players at that position in the history of the league.
In addition to Peterson, the Vikings have a franchise book end in pass protection in the form of Matt Kalil and a great pass-protecting right tackle in Phil Loadholt.
In terms of pass catchers, the Vikings have a solid combination of youngsters and veterans. When healthy, Kyle Rudolph can be a major force at tight end. He caught nearly 70 percent of the passes thrown in his direction a season ago. Electric second-year wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson promises to take on a more important role in 2014, and will be lined up on the outside. That will leave veteran Greg Jennings as a solid slot option for whoever is under center. If any rookie quarterback can succeed in 2014, it is Bridgewater.
Fantasy Strengths and Weaknesses
The first obvious weakness as it relates to Bridgewater's potential fantasy value in 2014 is that he might not earn the starting gig out of training camp. This leaves a lot of fantasy owners in a questionable situation when looking for a bottom-end QB2 option in standard re-draft leagues. The idea here is that Teddy could be more valuable than some of the lower-end veteran options out there. Until we know whether he's going to start, this point is somewhat moot.
Even if Bridgewater earns the starting gig, he will be in a run-first offense with Peterson in the backfield. That will limit him from a fantasy perspective, especially when it comes to red-zone opportunities with AP providing the Vikings a spark in that aspect of the game.
Strengths are relatively obvious as well. Bridgewater has an ability to extend plays with a combination of athletic ability and pocket presence. He will be able to get to the outside and throws well on the run. This will enable Patterson and Jarius Wright an ability to defeat defenders on broken plays. Again, that's going to be huge.
Dynasty Forecast
With a ceiling that might not be as high as Johnny Manziel, Bridgewater seems to be a much safer bet because his floor is much higher than that of his Cleveland Browns' counterpart. You also have to take into account Bridgewater's supporting cast compared to other rookie signal callers. Whether that talent grows with the young quarterback and Peterson can maintain a high level of play for another couple years, is a completely different question.