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jc

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000...-les-snead-says

Sam Bradford locked in as Rams QB, Les Snead says

When the St. Louis Rams turned down an enticing offer for Sam Bradford to procure a passel of draft picks for Robert Griffin III in 2012, the plan was to set the organization up for a decade of success.

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That plan was contingent on Sam Bradford converting his prodigious potential into franchise quarterback status.

Although Bradford has regressed at times during the past two seasons, the Rams are reluctant to address the position with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

General manager Les Snead remains steadfast in his support of the former No. 1 overall pick residing atop his quarterback depth chart.

"As we've said, Sam's our starting QB," Snead said Thursday, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "And maybe that's too way out of the box to take a QB that high."

Snead will consider adding quarterback insurance and/or eventual competition later in the draft, but he doesn't know if it's "the wisest thing" to allocate a high first-round pick with Bradford locked in as the starter.

The Rams are in a precarious position. With the addition of a big bodied, go-to wide receiver and help in the defensive backfield, this team will be ready to contend for a playoff spot in 2014 -- as long as the quarterback isn't a detriment.

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The "Around The League Podcast" has created a quarterback scale in which Andy Dalton sits in purgatory. Any player before Dalton is a legitimate franchise quarterback. Any player "After Dalton" is not the answer.

Coming off reconstructive knee surgery which has temporarily set back the progress of Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Robert Griffin III in the recent past, Bradford currently sits as close to purgatory as possible. He's a question mark for the 2014 season and beyond.

If Snead is indeed all-in on Bradford, his best bet is to trade out of the No. 2 spot while continuing to stockpile draft picks.

He might need to use one of those future picks on a quarterback.

I read this earlier and was looking for the source/context because it seems to me like the author is putting words into Snead's mouth. The quoted text seems much more noncommittal to me than the "locked-in" language that the article uses, but maybe I was just reading what I wanted to.

yea. doesn't sound locked in at all.

well, we can only hope they trade out or stay at 2 and pick BPA, not a QB.

i mean, here's another possibility: if the rams wanted to trade sam bradford for both our 1st, do we do it?

Based on his contract, I doubt they can...

I wouldn't give them both.

They can this year. Moving him clears $10 million in cap space cut or traded.

Agree with you on McCarron and Garoppolo, and I don't think the gap between them and the perceived top 3 (Bridgewater, Manziel, Bortles) is that large. The Browns could address critical needs at WR, ILB, or CB and still find their QB in the 2nd round. The bust factor for Manziel and Bortles is too great for my liking, and I would bet the house that Bridgewater will be a Texan - we won't have a shot at him. Worst case, we could trade back from 4, get a #1 for next year, and be in the catbird seat for Winston, Mariota, or Hundley.

jc


Nice to see some folks researching my favorite QB of this draft.

I agree with New England's assessment. There are only two Franchise QB's of NFL caliber in this draft. One of them is teddy and the other one is Jimmy Garoppolo.

I know a LOT of you get excited by big arms throwing long deep balls. So do I. However, the reality is your LUCKY when a QB has time to throw id deeper than 20 yards and most of the passes greater than 20 yards were 10 or 15 yard passes that got extra yards.

An elite WR runs a 40 yard dash at around 4.3 to 4.5 seconds. That's in an unobstructed sprint with no defender in his way. Now put an elite CB in front of him who roughs him up a little. It's going to me more like 6-7 second to run that same 40 yards.

Now how long does the AVG QB have time to throw the ball? 3 seconds. So in 3 seconds how far will the WR be down the field. 15 to 25 yards. 95% of all passes are shorter than 30 yards at the time the WR catches it. Of those passes barely 60% are longer than 10 yards.

So why do I tell you all that? Because I want you to understand that ARM STRENGTH is probably the least important thing in a QB. There are very few QB's who can't throw the ball accurately up to 20-30 yards.

Still I promise you Jimmy Garoppolo can throw a 40 plus yard pass accurately and where he wants it. So what does that leave us with?

The most important thing for a QB is reading the defense presnap and adjusting once they move.

The number one thing that helps him do that is his knowledge of defenses and how good his field vision is in order to see everything. Field vision also effects how readily he can see an open WR. In the NFL you can tell who has good vision or not because they will throw to a larger variety of receivers. In college they might only have 1 good wr on the whole team. Another way you can tell is by watching their eyes and head when they are playing. People with good vision will turn their head more because they can see that WR on the outside of their vision getting open. The ones who don't have good vision like Weeden for example will lock on to a WR or will only look where he plans to throw it. He knows if he turns his head he wont have time to react and adjust where he is throwing so once the ball is snapped he locks on to one side of the field unless its a timing throw to a screen of some sort.

I can't stress how important field vision is to a QB. Nothing else he does will amount to a hill of beans if he can't see the defense, see how they change, use that to know where to find open WR and then SEE the open WR.

Jimmy is absolutely excellent in reading defense, making adjustments, and finding that open WR. They did have some plays where locked on a bit but I think it was as much by play design. Cause normally his reads are very fluid and almost scary.

Next up is Intelligence. It's great to see what you see but can you process what you see fast enough to put it to any use? Making fast decisions under pressure is the hardest thing a QB faces in the NFL. Well you think Hoyer is fast? You ain't seen nothing till you watch how fast Jimmy gets rid of that ball. Sometimes is almost instant. He knows what he sees before the snaps and after that initial movement he KNOWS where he is going with that ball and it flies! Sometimes in under 2 seconds. It's flat out amazing.

Having a fast release helps a TON. There are times his release is SO FAST all you see from his arm is a blur. And that's on high end cameras. Your not gonna knock his balls down. You wont even have time to see where its going before it's GONE. There is no one in the NFL let alone college right now that matches the speed of this kids release.

The last thing I would talk about is the mythological IT factor. To me it's always hard to define but easy to see. You roll up charisma, attitude, and leadership all into one. Manziel, and Tebow are good examples. They don't really win by skill as much as they just will their teams to win and do whatever it takes. Sometimes what works in college doesn't work so well at the pro levels though. Kind of the difference between boys and men. Manziel will fail in the NFL if he is drafted too high and forced into early action. Because he is gonna suck for a while. All the things he got away with in college like taking chances with the ball, his antics are just going to annoy the veterans and the fans. He could prove me wrong but I think if he goes early his confidence will get destroyed by playing on a crappy team.

With Jimmy its the opposite. This guy is just oozing with charisma and confidence. Yet he has the humbleness that makes others fight to the death for him. He is a player who greatly elevates his team. Coaches, players, teachers, media ALL love this guy. he just doesn't search out the spotlight because he is too busy studying film all the time.

The reason New England thinks so highly of him is because he has a skill set very similar to Tom Brady. I have been on this forum since it first started. I have NEVER claimed a QB will become a great QB until I watched this kid play. I am telling you watch some of his games watch him play. If this kid were at a bigger school that actually had some talent on it he would be going #1 in this draft or at worst #2.

I seriously doubt he lasts past the second round and he might just go in the first. There were a LOT of NFL teams watching his games. The Browns were at several of his games. I am willing to bet several of the teams are trying to keep him a secret, as long as, they can.

Some Video links

Can skip about the first 6 minutes of this one.

https://www.youtube.com/v/LFQrFIRI3tc

Next start watching this one at about 2:14 in the video. You can see some of his release speed on this drive. at 3:12 you can see his ability to make them pay for blitzing him. In the very next possession he sees an offsides penalty and uses it to throw a 60 yard bomb that ends up going for a TD.

https://www.youtube.com/v/72eZH_Cd1-U

This next video is a more personal interview and highlights from 2012. You can't watch this and not like him as a person. More importantly watch one of the DEADLIEST pump fakes I have ever seen. His release is so fast it forces defenses to read his fakes as legit and they bite all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/v/CjHq-eusyks


I know this wont convince all of you and that's ok. I am just hoping that sharing this will open some of your eyes to what I see in him.

Don't know if you've seen it, but there's a thread in the Tailgate about JG:

https://www.dawgtalkers.net/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1075458/an/0/page/1#Post1075458

You mentioned that he's like Tom Brady, but the guy he reminds me of is Kurt Warner. Either would be fine with me. Some guys here whose opinions I respect were less than impressed by JG's playoff game vs Towson St, and I admit he didn't look good in that game. But the weather conditions were difficult, it was near blizzard conditions and very cold, and more importantly, his coaches went all conservative and called nothing but bubble screens and short outs. He did miss one wide open receiver deep that I saw (I didn't watch the whole game). But guys like Gil Brandt are very impressed with Garoppolo, and they say that while his arm strength is not elite, it is better than average. Further, they say his "arm talent" - the ability to be accurate to a spot, or "throw receivers open" is elite. Another posssible negative: I read his hands might be on the small side, but then again, I read the same about Bridgewater. I think 1st round is a reach, but I'd consider him in the 2nd if NE doesn't take him in the 1st.

excellent post dawg...very impressive assuming that was you n not an article.

Accuracy is the most important variable combined with vision seeing the field identifying the coverage...not locking onto WRs but onto the Safety for the deciding factor. Arm Strength if he can make all the throws he is an NFL QB. I mean Hoyer had a very avg. arm and he looked just fine.

Hurting us will be venturing into another OFFENSIVE system without any continuity. This is very confusing to the WRs n QBs here (Hoyer the other two I could care less) - but even the rookie QB coming in. Its easier for him to learn from Hoyer and all the other personnel here when they have been in the system for a year. NOW with all new to the system the rookie will retard their growth into it. It is a factor.

Still if I can believe Hoyer is a very quick study and can learn the new system faster n better than anyone else. I would love for him to Start the 2014 season. Continue or not will probably be up to his progress and our W/L column.

Teddy is a bonafide over all #1 pick. Unless the Texans are totally sold on JOHNNY FOOTBALL being a TEXAN and they wouldn't mind dropping back or do a ELI - RIVERS type of trade probably a lot more than an extra First rounder. We will have a big decision to make at #4. I don't think we would wish to take the next QB at #4...hard to call drafts. NFL history shows that a short QB like Manziel will drop. But I have heard that the Vikings are drooling to have him drop to them at what 8??? I would have loved the prospects of drafting Sammy at #4 and Manziel 20something.

Ive seen a couple more candidates...Carr might turn out ok just not a top 10 pick. Mc??? Alabama's QB he's the kind of kid that will become a QB in 3-4 years of NFL experience but more than likely a backup...but he has Hoyer stuff all depends on what he learns about the NFL.

Bortles, this Garoppolo kid I've never seen to have an inkling of evaluation from them.

But if they are sure (can we trust Lombardi?) on his status knowing full well that he doesn't have to come in and win right away cause of Hoyer. I all for drafting a talented kid in the 3rd round??? and utilize our top 3 picks for WR, OG n DB... RB? I think Baker/Lewis n Ogb w/FA or mid-late round additions will be just fine.

We do need an ILB but if we go 4-3 it is not so vital as DQ is solid.

The other option was pretty much dropped in my mind as McD pulled out of our job search. I thought if he came along we would have probably been wise to trade for Mallet as he knew the O being brought in. I have dropped that option when McD was dropped.

Wisenhunt...will that mean Whitehurst is brought in? I think hes a FA...Hoyer Whitehurst n rookie?

JMHO hard to know direction till the HC hire is made.

Nicely done Razor..

If what you say turns out like that, then I'd love to have him here.

Why did the Browns trade Trent Richardson?

The obvious answer to accumulate draft picks in order to secure a franchise quarterback.

Yet here we are with all kinds of people saying do not trade up for a quarterback. We have to use the draft picks to upgrade the roster.

First is there a quarterback in this draft worthy of the number one selection or even top three?

If Teddy Bridgewater is not considered a franchise quarterback based upon his college career please tell me what one has to do in order to be considered a top prospect?

Are the Texans willing to trade out of the pick? They have declared that they will listen to offers. What is the pick worth? Fair market value. Meaning the pick is worth what someone is willing to pay.

Should the Browns make an offer to secure Bridgewater? Why on earth not? Because of the miracles that our draft picks have accomplished. Look at the history of our first two round picks.

If you do not have a franchise quarterback and you are in a position to get
one; is there anything more important? Will the Colts pick if utilized on another position have more of an impact on the Browns than getting Bridgewater?

Personally I rank Bridgewater as a prospect higher than Griffin or Stafford coming out of college.

If the Browns were to come out of the first round with Bridgewater and it cost TRich does anyone have a problem with that? If it cost TRich and 2015 first?

For me no problem at all. If that is what it takes after negotiations than so be it.

For all the Manziel fans I would rather pay the above price of either scenario and have Bridgewater than take Manziel with the fourth pick. Plain and simple Bridgewater is a better professional prospect with much less risk than Manziel.

Bridgewater for 2014 and an additional 15 years.

I think it is likely that QBs can go 1, 2, and 3 in this draft. There are plenty of teams right behind us that need a qb and they can trade w/the Rams.

It will be a colossal failure if we do not come out of this draft w/one of the top three QBs.

I have been studying these qbs all year and you are not going to win w/guys like Carr, Boyd, and Garoppolo.

I hope we end up w/either Teddy of Manziel. Bortles is my third guy, but his tendency to not look off the safety worries me a bit.

I think it would be prudent to move up to number 2 before another team does. We would then guarantee ourselves of getting one of our top two guys.

Desperation makes people do stupid things. Frankly, I don't care how they fall or who jumps us. I don't think there's a QB in the draft worth 2 firsts. And I do think there is a guy that will be there at 4, (Manziel, Bortles, Carr,) or even later that could serve us very we'll (Boyd, Brett Smith, or Garoppolo). Point is, don't panic, don't give away the draft, find the guy that fits your needs and projects well at the next level and bring him along slowly behind Hoyer. Then take the rest of your picks and fill in all the freakin's holes.

JMHO

I do like Garoppolo, but man he did get crushed by BG.

Not a fan of McCarron at all.

While I don't think you need a canon, you do need at least a decent arm. McCarron can't fit the ball into the tight windows that he will have to face in the NFL.

I have to say that I am amazed by the majority opinion on QBs. Most people have been complaining long and hard about us not having a franchise qb. They say it was unfair to fire Chud because he didn't have a QB.

Now, when three quality QBs are available and we have the ammunition to get one of them, they want us to pass on them and take one later in the draft.

It's mind boggling.

Regarding the first question about why they traded TRich. I think it was more than just to acquire another pick. It also had a lot to do with him not being all that he was cracked up to be. He kinda proved that in Indy...

As for what folks on here are saying, I think more than anything, you hear that they don't want to trade a "Bunch" of picks to move up to get a QB this year. That may be because there is a perception that there isn't a guy worth that. (just a guess)

For me, that's part of the reason I wouldn't want to throw the kitchen sink in to move up.

The other part is, I don't remember the last time it worked out. Maybe Eli Manning (I"m not sure how much the Giants actually gave up beyond a swap of QB's) The jury is still out on RG3. But right now, it's not looking so smart. How about Sanchez?

I look at the "successful" starting QB's in the league today and most that came in via the draft didn't have a big trade involved. Brady,Matt Ryan, Tannihill, Kaepernik, Russell, Rothlesberger, Luck, Stafford and Flacco.

I just look at it and say, hey, it just doesn't have that great a success rate and I can't tell you why that is.

Sometimes making a trade for an established player works out. Best ever deal had to be for Drew Brees. A guy that lots of folks on here wanted. I didn't, I was afraid of his injury. I was dead wrong.

Another looks like Alex Smith, heck of a deal there. Looks like it worked so far. Of course Jay Cutler has had some good years in Chicago.

That's why I'm not all that sold on giving up a lot to move up to take a player unless you feel he's a CAN'T MISS guy.

Is there one in this draft?

Not really all that mind-boggling. I'm not a scout, just a greedy fan that wants a QB AND Sammy Watkins. I don't "break down film", I watch guys play and my opinion is strictly intuitive and emotional. I've seen Bridgewater throw nice passes to guys and I've seen McCarron do the same (against better competition), but then I read that one is a franchise QB and the other is a career backup. I'm being honest here, I just watch and let my eyes tell me if I think someone is good. Let that be a caveat to anyone who reads anything I post - I'm no expert, just another know-it-all nobody that likes to watch football and jawbone about it afterwards.

That's cool.

A part of me also feels that the front office likes Manziel so much because of what he can do to the brand.

Manziel is gonna put butts in seats, sell a ton of jerseys, and he is going to be a public figure. ESPN loves him and he is going to continue to garner a lot of attention once in the NFL.

The Browns brand is always getting destroyed for their lack of a big name player. Hell, there are a lot of people unwilling to call Haden and Gordon the superstars they are because they wear brown and orange. You will hear a couple WRs jump in and say just how good Gordon is and can be, but then its followed by some sort of typical, it's still Cleveland comment.

If the FO believes Manziel can play at a high level in the NFL, he may do more for this team then just win games. He may change the image of the team. He is a very polarizing character, but if you ask the younger audience what they think about him, they love him

My knocks of Bridgewater is that he doesn't seem to play with passion. Can he be a leader in the huddle and all around the facility. Maybe the kid is just very humble and doesn't show much emotion on the field. It just concerns me that he may not have what it takes to bring Cleveland out of this abyss that we are in.

Bortles reminds me of Andrew Luck, but he has not experienced the same amount of competition and his accuracy and running ability is a little lower than Luck. He does have a smoking hot GF, whereas Luck has the worst neck beard ever. Bortles could be the solution, but I think he needs development first. We need a QB that can start and win games day 1. I don't know if this is the guy.

Carr scares that browns out of me so I am really hoping we don't pick him. Terrible footwork under pressure and all his skills diminish when faced with pressure. The accuracy goes and the arm strength goes because he is usually not stepping up to avoid pressure, he is falling away from it.

McCarron and Garropolo are the only QBs I would touch after Round 1 and I wouldn't take either in Round 2. The biggest knock on Garropolo will be, who did he play at Eastern Illinois?

That's a pretty darn good post.

i think there is daman.

i know its a lot of work, but try remembering WHEN those QB's were drafted. you're absolutely right; almost all of them were drafted by a team that didn't move up, just sat in that position.

but when i look at the draft class, you have to remember, there were teams picking ahead of them in the draft, but they didn't need a QB. so pretty much, atlanta and baltimore could sit right where they were at knowing those QB's weren't going to be taken because the teams ahead of them didn't NEED one.

thats not the case this year. out of the top 8, 5-6 of them all need franchise QB's. i don't think there has been a need for that many QB's in one year...ever.

houston and jacksonville , picking ahead of us, need a QB. St. louis doesn't, but that means they are willing to trade with whoever. which means they can trade with Minny, Oakland, or tampa. thats 6 teams with dire needs at QB.

i think Teddy is that guy. seriously. manziel is definitely 2nd. i really don't like bortles, but thats my opinion, but as far as draft boards, he is a top 3 prospect.

so you have the big 3, with everybody else falling to the point they are considered 2nd, 3rd round picks. when you look at a broad picture, thats very little QB's for a lot of teams needing one. 2nd/3rd round QB's are considered prospects, and few of them are starting material.

for every wilson or bree's. you have troy smiths, dennis dixons, Mccoy's and clausens,

imo, there is one QB worthy of moving up for, 2 if you really make a compelling argument.

for a team that has failed consistently because of that ONE AND ONLY position, we can not afford to just wait it out and hope one of those QB's falls to us. or we are gonna be reaching again, and end up with another weeden.

If Geno Smith and Ej Manuel had come out this year where would you guys have ranked them?

In my mind I want either Bridgewater or Manziel. And I have no qualms about trading whatever it would take to get either of them. You don't get that many shots at the top QB of a draft without stinking really bad. I'd like this to be our last 4 win season and just trade whatever it takes to snag Bridgwater. But Manziel at 2 or 4 is fine by me if they prefer him.

Even though what you say about Manziel and the hype that surrounds him is true:

There really should only be one criterion that needs to be considered. That is who gives the team the best chance to win a championship asap and over the long haul?
======================================================

"My knocks of Bridgewater is that he doesn't seem to play with passion."
=====================================================

Look not everyone is going to act like Ray Lewis. You have to be yourself. Players can lead by example by what they do everyday, all day. Think Russell Wilson and many others.

Just win baby. The rest will take care of itself.

Is putting butts in the seats an issue? The Browns averaged 71,242 last year and the stadium fits 73,200. Jerseys yes, public figure yes, attention yes. Changing the image of the brand no. One thing, and one thing alone will change the brand - winning (regardless of who the QB is).

The rest of your post I agree 100% with.

Just an FYI, Eastern Illinios played 2 FBS schools, San Diego State (win) and Northern Illinois (loss) this past season. Against these two teams, he was 68% completion, 711 yards, 9 TD, 2 int. In 2012, it looks like they played 1 FBS school in Western Michigan (loss) - he was 15-32 for 225 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT.

Wish JM was 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier but then he wouldn't be Johnny Football would he?!

We've known what we've needed and never have been bold enough to get it.
While he may not be my #1 guy I'm ok if we believe him to be so and go full throttle to get him.

Move up to #2 and get either Bridgewater or Manziel. I am fine with that plan.

j/c

I'm curious what opinions abound regarding Mettenberger and Murray had they not gotten injured.

Are they in the mix with McCarron, Garrapollo, Boyd?

Or better?

Thanks for the compliment Eotab. Yes, I wrote all of it lol. The only thing I copied were the links

Did you watch any of the videos yet? I'm interested to see if you see some of the things I pointed out. I agree with you about accuracy but I kind of take that as a given. If a guy can't complete passes we wouldn't even be talking about him =) One thing Jimmy does really well though is show excellent ball placement. His receivers often are able to pick up good YAC because he will hit them in stride most of the time. I love watching him throw a ball over the wr's shoulder and seeing it drop right in their hands. Is every throw like that? Of course not but he does it quite often.

I can tell you this much. IF we can't land Teddy and I don't think we do then I would say take this kid over any other QB in this draft. Taking a WR with our first pick, a CB or OG with our second pick, and Jimmy with our second round pick I think guarantees success for us.

I mean outside of Teddy none of these QB's excite me at all. I mean sure there will be some decent QB's in this draft. I just don't think that many of them are worth our #4 pick. I think if it takes our 2 firsts this year and next years first to move up and take Teddy and IF the front office LOVES Teddy then do it. Get that iconic player. They will be FORCED to make him start for several years and we will have improvement from that alone.

What if our FO tries to get bridgewater and fails? What if their so called like for manziel is a smokescreen to use him as trade bait because like me they don't love the QB talent of this draft but want even more ammunition for next years draft. What if the vikings gave us 2 to three firsts to move up to our spot to take Manziel? We would still be picking at #8 and able to get a great WR but then have extra FIRST round picks. To me if you want long term success your going to do it either by getting that franchise QB or by building a team that's so good any QB will succeed. I think BOTH ways work.

I think if we draft Jimmy and let Hoyer start that Jimmy will have time to be ready for the NFL like he needs and become a great QB. What I don't want to see is for us to make the same mistake over and over again of drafting a QB and immediately throwing him to the wolves. That hasn't worked for us and is NEVER going to work for us. It's another reason I am wary of trading up. I think we desperately need to finish up our offensive line. If we move up then what picks will we have left to do that with? We gonna start Teddy behind an offensive line that protected so poorly that all three of our QB's ended up getting injured?

Take a WR, OG, and then Jimmy. Trading down is ok. Finish that O-line and keep our QB's healthy. Get that final weapon to finish the offense. You take a shot on a guy like jimmy this year. If he doesn't impress then you have a mostly complete offense and you throw everything at getting your QB next year whatever the cost. If we traded down then there would be plenty of ammo.

You never know maybe their ultimate plan is to build up enough draft picks to get Jameis Winston when he comes out. That would be enough to make my heart sing if he can give up baseball =)

Razorthorns, I watched the videos and am very intrigued by his size and quick release. I was going to ask if he was capable of working from under center after I watched the first video. But, that question was answered in the second video. He seems to make good decisions, including his decision to tuck and run for a first down. I wouldn't be disappointed if he wears a Browns' uniform next year. Here's to hoping for a good draft, however it goes!!

j/c

I wrote the following post on 11/6/2013 in the "Long Term Strategy, Now What?" thread. As far as I can tell this is the first pro-Bortles post on the board during the recently concluded FBS season. I grow less confident in the FO with each passing day, but remain hopeful they will do their due diligence on what has become only the second most important hire they must do this year....
-------------------
The QB who should get a really good look from the Browns is Blake Bortles, UCF. Once the hype has settled on all the QB's not named Bridgewater, Manziel or Mariotoa the prospect with as much potential as any player available to the Browns will be Bortles. Beat Penn St in at their place, beat Louisville at their place, 15 TDs, 4 Ints, 6' 4", 225lbs, mobile, takes snaps under center, pocket presence, decision maker, and throws a very catchable ball. If I'm aware of him, gotta believe the Browns FO knows about him.
-------------------

What follows is a link to a very exhaustive and impartial evaluation of Bortles.

From the Rookie Scouting Portfolio

j/c

The most important thing in the modern NFL *and you know, the old NFL* is escapibility, an accurate arm, and the ability to beat the blitz.

The guys who I feel fit these best are as follows:

Teddy Bridgewater
Johnny Manziel
Blake Bortles
Jimmy Goricannotspellhisname
Brett Smith

The Browns must come out of the draft with at least one of these guys, maybe two of them.

Garapolo just tore up the Shrine game.

J/C

Some notes from the Senior Bowl.

Quote:

---

There’s little question that the most awkward spectacle of Senior Bowl week is the annual weigh-in, where players parade across a stage wearing boxer briefs and tattoos, stopping first for the for official height measurement (down to the nearest eight of an inch), and then onto the scale. Player physiques ranged from good to bad to downright ugly, but you won’t hear official scouting terms like “bubble butts” or “moobs” from me. I will, however, give a quick run down of the highs and the lows from this morning’s beauty pageant.



Logan Thomas was the only quarterback on either team to check in taller than 6’2 1/4”. Thomas was built like a defensive end and measured at 6’5 3/4” and 256 pounds. Thomas also has gigantic 10 3/4” hands, and his measurables will likely trick some personnel types into thinking they can “fix” him. Expect Thomas to be drafted higher than his game tape would suggest.

David Fales surprised onlookers with a half-sleeve tribal tat on his upper left arm. He measured at 6’1 3/8” and 220 pounds, but his hands are on the small side at 9 1/4”. Speaking of small hands, Jimmy Garoppolo came in at 9” even, though at 6’2 1/4”, he was the second tallest QB in attendance. Just a week ago, people were wondering if he’d crack 6’2” and there he was measuring taller than Derek Carr (6’2 1/8”). Carr’s hand size will be a bigger issue than his height though, as he measured at just 9 1/8”.



Perhaps the most disappointing weigh in of the day came courtesy of Alabama linebacker Adrian Hubbard, the only fourth year junior in Mobile this week. Hubbard was nearly 6’6” tall, but weighed a soft 255 pounds highlighted by a pot belly. Now, most of the football writing community has little room to talk about body definition, but writers aren’t auditioning for NFL jobs. More alarming was Hubbard’s Greg Oden-esque, old man gait. He looked like he’d been wearing shoes that were two sizes small just prior to the weigh in. The guy simply looked uncomfortable.



South defensive tackle Dan McCullers was often listed at around 370 during his college days, but he checked in at 348 this morning, and he looked like he’d been on a crash diet. His body hasn’t yet had time to adjust to the 25-30 pound weight loss. McCullers does have incredibly long arms though, so he has that going for him. Baylor guard Cyril Richardson, often touted as a potential first rounder, joined McCullers in the sloppy body club, and sported the most prodigious belly of the day. On the flip side, offensive linemen Gabe Jackson and Ja’wuan James carried their weight fairly well.



Arkansas defensive end Chris Smith looked like the Hulk. he came in at 6’1 1/8” tall, but weighed a rock solid 266 pounds, and has an 82 1/2 inch wingspan. To put that in perspective, his reach is 1/4” longer than the 6’6” James.



North teammates Stanley Jean-Baptiste (CB from Nebraska) and Ra’Shede Hageman (DT from Minnesota) also made favorable impressions. Baptiste has the prototype body for the modern cornerback, at a sculpted 6’2 3/8” and 215 pounds. Hageman is expected to display brilliant athleticism in combine tests next month, and looked fit for his 6’6” 318 pound frame. Also impressive was Miami’s OT Seantrel Henderson, who measured 6’6 7/8” and carried his 331 pounds well. His 84” wing span was among the best of the day as well. Henderson is the offensive line version of Logan Thomas, in that his measurables are likely to gloss over his spotty game film.

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http://www.draftbrowns.com/2014/01/2014-..._medium=twitter

At 6' 2-1/4", 220lbs with 9-3/4" hands, it sounds like I should enter the draft, lol!