DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2014 NFL Season NFL Draft 2014 Blake Bortles

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Bortles is a classic case of measurable beating out film...

Bridgewater and Manziel have great film...Bortles has great size. Do you want measurables or film...

Jamarcus or Wilson
Gabbert or anyone not named Gabbert

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I am predicting from what I have been hearing and what I have watched. Teddy Bridewater is a good QB but he does not have the look of a top 5 draft pick. Johnny Manziel will be the player that falls in the draft. Someone does every year. His height being under 6'0 will cause his fall.

Bortles will be the to QB taken. Will he go #1, #3, or #4? That is the question.

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The thing is I like Teddy Bridgewater and will not be dissapointed if the Browns select him. I just think his measurables is going to cause him to fall out of the top 5. Just like I think Manziel is an intreging prospect but NFL GM's are going to be extremely cautious selecting him. That is why I am predicting him to be the player that has a huge fall in the draft. I like watching the kid play. I would even be excited to see the Browns draft him but I would also be the most nervous about the Browns drafting im.

Bortles has the look of a top 5 pick. His rise is tied to his upside and size. I also like that what I am hearing Pat Kirwan was on NFL radio and said he heard Bortles is an absolute gym rat. I am hoping that he is the Browns pick at #4.

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See my signature. Of the 3 QBs that most attribute at the top part of the draft, I like Bortles the most. I'm not sure I would take him at #4 unless I was forced to do so with a gun pointed at my head. I wouldn't take Bridgewater or Manziel at #4 even under those circumstances.

I'm thinking that Mack is probably the best player in the draft. I don't think you can have too may good players on defense. I would take him over Clowney or the two OTs and to say nothing of the QBs.

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This is your opinion, yet you state it as fact.

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He called it a prediction... That tells me that he's guessing like the rest of us

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There is no consensus about who the Texans will take with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft, if they even select a player at all. But this is certain: If the Texans use their potential franchise-changing pick to select a quarterback, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Central Florida's Blake Bortles or Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel will greet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on May 8 in New York.

Two local college defensive coordinators – who have more than 50 combined years of coaching, including stints in the NFL, Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences -- recently opened their film rooms to the Houston Chronicle, providing a detailed look at how they countered, attacked and mostly tried to survive Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel.

The University of Houston faced Central Florida and Louisville in back-to-back road contests last November. The Cougars fell in both but David Gibbs' defense contained Bridgewater and Bortles, while holding the latter to his only game of the season when the Knights quarterback threw more interceptions (one) than touchdowns (zero).

"I see two safe picks. Two good dudes, good team leaders, good guys, all the tools. I don't see the bust," said Cougars defensive coordinator Gibbs, who served as the Texans' defensive backs coach from 2009-10.

Rice opened its 2013 season in College Station. Manziel only played the second half because a half-game suspension. But he was more efficient than he was all year, completing 6-of-8 passes for 94 yards, three touchdowns and a 297.5 passer rating.

"He's like carrying nitroglycerin around," Owls defensive coordinator Chris Thurmond said. "If you put it in the trunk of your car, you might get it where you're going. But, boy, you're always afraid it's going to blow up."

Gibbs and Thurmond were careful in their assessments about the prospects, who will showcase their skills a final time at their upcoming pro days. Bridgewater will be Monday, Bortles on Wednesday and Manziel on March 27.

The coordinators declined to be overly critical, respecting the unwritten rules of their profession. The duo also acknowledged everything from the offensive systems the quarterbacks' schools employed to the fact Houston and Rice weren't seen as must-win opponents limited the scope of their evaluations.

But the game tapes ultimately backed the current general reads on Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel. Bridgewater is highly polished and appears to be pro-ready, yet at times lacks buzz and a knockout punch. Bortles' frame, arm and long-term potential shine, as do his rawness and the reality he's the least prepared for Week 1. Manziel's in another world. He's electric and dynamic, often operating off pure instinct. He's also unconventional, unpredictable and falls somewhere between Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and Tim Tebow after two thrilling but volatile years as the Aggies' starting QB.

"Sometimes in coaching, we want to make this a creative, robotic game," Thurmond said. "This is not a robotic game. This is a creative, reaction game and he proves it."

Teddy Bridgewater

Gibbs got Bortles and Bridgewater at the perfect time. The late-season Nov. 9 and 16 American Athletic Conference road matchups weren't ideal for the Cougars, who dropped from a season-best six games above .500 to 7-3. But Gibbs had more than two months' worth of game film as he prepared for the duo and the Cougars' defense didn't break in either matchup, only giving up 39 combined points and never allowing Bortles to fully lock in.

Based off the Cougars' video, Bridgewater clearly edged Bortles in several key categories. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Louisville junior commanded a more pristine pro-style system, expertly adhered to the Cardinals' game plan and displayed everything from better execution to sharper accuracy and greater athleticism.

"Teddy can make all the throws. He gets rid of the ball quick. He is well-coached. … Very polished and impressive," Gibbs said.

During a season that saw Bridgewater complete 71 percent of his passes for 3,970 yards, 31 touchdowns and just four interceptions, he was 19-of-29 for 203 yards against the Cougars. Like Bortles, though, Bridgewater didn't record a touchdown versus Gibbs' defense and Louisville's QB stuck to the script Nov. 16 at Cardinal Stadium: play smart and efficient; only attack when there's a clear opening; let the running game and defense kill the clock.

Utilizing a high, quick release, smooth footwork and strong eyes, Bridgewater blended short slants and midfield crossing patterns with bootlegs, handoffs, bubble screens and an occasional deep route -- set up by deceptive play-action -- to wear down the Cougars. He stuck to called plays and quickly dissected the defense at the line of scrimmage, often employed fake audibles, regularly opted for the safe pass and rarely strayed from the norm.

"If I'm an offensive coach, if I'm a quarterback guy, this is exactly the kind of guy I want," Gibbs said. "He'll do exactly what you tell him to do."

When the Cougars utilized a nickel-based blitz, Bridgewater altered his approach and "took what was there." When the Cardinals faced a short-yardage, third-down situation – which saw the Cougars playing three defenders deep and keeping a single safety high -- Bridgewater turned Gibbs' defense upside down, throwing downfield and near the sideline.

"He knows where to go with the ball," Gibbs said. "You throw the ball outside the off man for a three-deep coverage, which he does."

Gibbs noticed facets of Bridgewater's game that require pro touchups. He at times checked down too often – likely staying within Louisville's prescribed system – didn't use a three-step drop from behind center and had a tendency to immediately bring the ball toward his ear when catching a snap from shotgun – a red blinking light that screams "pass" in the pros.

"This is something they'll change for him," Gibbs said. "In the NFL, you cannot catch from shotgun and hold the ball up."

The rough edges were offset by Bridgewater's overall precision and rarely seen but intriguing traits, including his ability to smoothly escape the pocket and sharply throw while scrambling.

"This kid, he can run, man. Make no mistake about it," Gibbs said. "He just doesn't do it very often."

By the time the room lights were flicked back on and Bortles' game tape was being cued up, Gibbs had translated four quarters of Bridgewater vs. the Cougars into four words.

"He's the whole package," Gibbs said.

Blake Bortles

Gibbs turned to Penn State – former home of new Texans coach Bill O'Brien – in the attempt to decipher Bortles.

On Sept. 14, Central Florida pulled off a surprising 34-31 victory against O'Brien's Nittany Lions in State College, Pa. Five games later, Bortles' Knights hosted the Cougars in Orlando, Fla. Gibbs borrowed a Penn State blitz to attack Bortles and the Cougars defensive coordinator entered a Nov. 9 matchup believing his gutsy defense could also surprise.

"I thought we could pick the ball off from Bortles a couple times," Gibbs said.

The Cougars did once and they sacked the 6-5, 232-pound Bortles twice, holding the Central Florida junior to 17-of-24 passing for 210 yards, with six rushes for -10 yards.

"I don't know that anybody can just knock this guy and say there's something that he can't do," Gibbs said. "But is he the athlete that Teddy is? Is he as accurate as Teddy is? Probably not."

When Bortles was on target, he was stronger than Bridgewater. And the primary pro evaluation that was missing from the Cougars' game tapes – the prospects' NFL ceilings – temporarily became evident when the larger, thicker Bortles reared back and unleashed a crossfield, downfield arrow that was perfectly placed and perfectly thrown.

"He does have a bigger windup than Teddy," Gibbs said. "But it is a freakin' great throw."

Like Bridgewater, Bortles ran a pro-style system featuring under-center calls, a quick three-step dropback, play-action passes and bootlegs. Yet Bortles did not check off or down as often, at times failed to recognize blitz packages and fell prey to Gibbs' third-down multiple defense, killing a potential first-quarter scoring drive that abruptly ended at the Cougars' 9-yard line.

On third-and-4, Gibbs employed a scheme that appeared to be a soft zone. Bortles thought he knew what the Cougars were running and threw a quick in route as a response. At the same time his receiver pulled up, Cougars defensive back Trevon Stewart sliced in, picking off the potential No. 1 pick and silencing the Knights' threat.

"Clearly, there's no question he knows the coverage, right? Why did he throw it right to us?" Gibbs said. "He has shown that he will do this every now and then. (Bridgewater), you never saw him do this."

But there were also Bortles' arm, size and stability, which increasingly stood out as the quarters wound down.

After rewatching video replays of two intriguing but still developing QBs the Texans have been evaluating for months, Gibbs jokingly re-emphasized the one thing he knew going into the film breakdowns: The former Texans coach is glad he's not making a decision that could alter the franchise's direction for the next decade.

"There's really nothing glaring about either one of the guys, which makes it that much harder for the Texans to make their pick," Gibbs said

Johnny Manziel

Thurmond has devoted more than 30 years of his life to college football. Rice's defensive coordinator has never seen anyone – on the field or on film – like Manziel.

Thurmond rolled two tapes to prove it.

The first, Thurmond turned to when he prepared for the Owls' 2013 season-opener: Texas A&M's 29-24 victory at Alabama on Nov. 10, 2012. The game that solidified the Cult of Manziel and helped make the Kerrville native the first freshman Heisman Trophy winner in history.

The second was Manziel's post-autograph controversy debut, via the Aggies' 52-31 home win against Rice on Aug. 31 at Kyle Field.

Both videos displayed an incredibly talented, highly unorthodox contemporary quarterback whose confidence, charisma and bravado continue to excite and confound NFL personnel. Like Bridgewater, Manziel quickly read defenses and was willing to check down to secondary receivers. Like Bortles, Manziel had the arm to nail crossing routes and didn't hesitate to throw a deep bomb. But there is no one like Manziel in the college or pro ranks, and his backyard, gunslinger style can make instant believers out of conventional coaches who grew up on single-wing tailbacks and true pocket passers.

"What this guy does is, this guy never proofreads his work. He turns his paper in right now," said Thurmond, whose coaching résumé features Oklahoma, the Cougars and the Crimson Tide. "He's not second guessing his reads. He's not saying, 'OK, am I sure I'm right?' He knows he's right. And that's how he plays. … He plays with amazing, amazing confidence."

He also ran a lot – more than any NFL quarterback would ever consider. Bridgewater regularly saw holes in the Cougars' line, yet consistently fired the ball to his nearest receiver, rather than tuck and sprint. Bortles ran 87 times apiece in 2012 and 2013, but is not regarded as a dangerous scrambler. Manziel rushed 19 times in a single game Oct. 12 at Ole Miss and recorded six attempts in one half against Rice.

"He's like a point guard in basketball that can create and he's playing quarterback," Thurmond said. "That's probably his greatest asset, is his ability to create plays."

Manziel made Bridgewater and Bortles look mundane. Against Alabama, the 5-11 ¾, 207-pound QB turned a near-sack into a bobbled ball that was recaptured, sprinted toward his left, squared his shoulders and fired a crossfield bullet that became a video game-like 10-yard touchdown and his signature Heisman moment.

"This kid's physical – he's an unbelievable fighter," Thurmond said. "He has that boxer's mentality about, 'Hey, you might knock me down. But I'm going to get up and I'm going to punch you again.' "

Thurmond sees pieces of Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton in Manziel, but Newton's size (6-5, 245) creates separation. The most direct comparison is Washington's Robert Griffin III, who blew out Thurmond's Owls in 2011, when RGIII was at Baylor.

Still, Manziel is his own monster. A fascinating but unpredictable quarterback who intrigues the Texans, hailed as everything from a consensus No. 1 pick to no better than a fourth-rounder.

On film, Bridgewater and Bortles appeared promising, but both reinforced the belief the 2014 draft doesn't feature an instant franchise-changer at quarterback. Manziel altered college football's culture at College Station. But a long-asked question still shadows him less than two months before selection day: How will Manziel's act translate in the pros?

"With this guy, I don't know that in any time in college anybody mastered that blueprint," Thurmond said. "Now, if you play him over a long period of time, who knows?"

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You can definitely win with him, but he will never be an elite QB in the league on the level of Rodgers (or someone similar). I am fine with that.

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I don't ever remember a year when so many players are linked to the top over #1 pick and even more players projected as possible top 5 picks.

Clowney, Mack, Bortles, Bridgewater, and Manziel have all be mentioned as possible Texans targets.

Then Watkins,Robinson, Matthews, Evans,Gilbert,and Lewan all mentioned as possible top 5 picks.

The fans that get tickets to radio city music hall will be doing alot of uhing and awing when names are selected this year. Usually the top 7 picks go fairly scripted. I don't think that will be the case this year. There will be quite a few surprises or atleast names taken that the fans did not expect taken when they are selected.

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Everyone seems to think that QBs are the Top picks every year. They all thought that Geno Smith would be the first QB taken. They also thought he'd be taken in the first round. Well... Oops!

The OTs were rather easy to pick, as they were the best players available and the teams that selected could use them.

There's so much speculation out there about who should be picking who and where. Most all the talking heads say that the Browns will be taking a QB with their first pick and even trading up to do it. They say the same things every year. The Browns have to draft a QB high in the draft. It's as if it's the only thing that they can think of for the Browns to do with their first pick.

Don't believe me?

Walter Football's Final 2013 Mock Draft

Bleacher Report had Jax taking Geno Smith #2 overall in their final 2013 NFL Mock Draft

Sports Illustrated had the Browns taking Geno Smith

Truth is, these 'experts' don't no jack squat and folks think that we should value their opinions.

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If you could take the best quarterback in the 2015 draft this May, knowing that you probably wouldn’t get much from him in ’14—and even then he’s still not a sure thing—where would you draft him?

Would you still take him first overall in this talent-laden draft? How about the middle of the first round? Or would you not consider him until the second round?

That, essentially, is the conundrum with Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles.

After watching six of his games on coaches film (against Penn State, South Carolina, Memphis, Louisville, Houston and Baylor), two things seem fairly certain about Bortles: 1) He possesses all of the traits teams look for in a franchise quarterback, and 2) he has the highest ceiling of any QB in this draft.

But he’s just not ready yet.

In a perfect world, Bortles would have stayed in school one more season, fixed the potentially ruinous weaknesses in his game, been the top pick in the 2015 draft and immediately started on the first day for his new franchise.

But Bortles declared for the draft and is available now. That means teams will have a harder time trying to project his future than they would a year from now. That brings more questions into the process: where should we take him, and how long will it take him to fully develop?

The positives

Despite the rise in smaller and more mobile quarterbacks, the NFL is still ruled by quarterbacks who execute from the pocket. And if you were to create a quarterback from scratch, Bortles would check every box. It’s why he’s near the top of this year’s draft class.

Bortles, 22, is 6-foot-5 and a very solid 232 pounds, with long arms and decent hand size (11th among quarterbacks at the combine). He is built to withstand the beating that a quarterback can take in the pocket. And despite his 4.93 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Bortles is a good athlete at the position and will be productive with his legs, just as he was in college. While the Knights run a multiple offense, they were primarily a read-option team and Bortles was very much a part of that structure. He made plays with his feet and wasn’t afraid to take a hit. He was also asked to make many throws on the move.

On film, he looks to have above average arm strength and can make all the throws required by an NFL offense. Bortles possessed a good grasp of his offense and his opponents’ defensive schemes, and he had the ability to make checks and some audibles at the line of scrimmage.

He also does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield while bodies are flying around him, and he’s not afraid to step up in the pocket and make throws into tight windows.

This outstanding throw against Penn State shows the promise of Bortles (even his ability to have great touch on deep passes), and it looked even better on the coaches’ film from the end-zone angle.
This throw, on the game-winning drive against Louisville, shows Bortles’ ability to stand strong in the pocket, anticipate and load up on a throw when needed.
(Both linked videos come from DraftBreakdown.com, which does great work on NFL prospects.)

When it comes to projecting great quarterbacks, what you can’t see is often more important than physical skills. Bortles also measures up in this regard. According to a source on the Knights’ coaching staff, Bortles has “off the charts” intangibles. He’s a great leader, extremely bright and a tireless worker who lives and breathes football. Bortles also seems to have a short memory, meaning mistakes don’t linger. Those are all must-haves when considering a quarterback prospect.

The negatives

If Bortles played in the NFL right now, he would be a turnover machine and would probably flame out because his mechanics, mostly in the lower body, are extremely flawed.

While Bortles has problems with an inconsistent delivery—it can range from short and compact to long and wild—the biggest problem is his feet. Bortles is constantly stepping into a bucket, or stepping away from the throw instead of toward the receiver. Not only does that lead to accuracy issues, the ball also loses energy very quickly and underthrows are common on deep passes.

Bortles has sloppy footwork even in a clean pocket. More troublesome is that when he feels pressure, Bortles will stare down receivers, his footwork breaks down even more and the likelihood of a turnover increases greatly. In this way, he is similar to another unfinished NFL pocket passer: the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick. But Bortles doesn’t have Kaepernick’s wheels to help in the playmaking department.

Here are two examples of Bortles’ subpar mechanics against Penn State.

With this throw, Bortles had a mostly clean pocket in the red zone and a window to fit the touchdown in. But instead of stepping into the throw and snapping it to the receiver, he opened his feet and was nearly intercepted.
Bortles was not as lucky on this throw to the sideline, which was intercepted.
These are just a few examples, but you can find dozens in each of Bortles’ games. If you really want a horror show, watch the game against Memphis (17 of 36 for 160 yards). You’d think Bortles was undraftable. (The South Florida game, I’ve been told, is similar.)

Bortles could get away with these fundamental and troubling breakdowns most of the time in college because of the level of competition. The NFL isn’t nearly as forgiving. In two games against the best athletes he faced in college (Ohio State in ’12 and South Carolina ’13), Bortles completed just 63.6% of his passes and threw five of the 16 interceptions (31%) he had over those two seasons. If Bortles doesn’t clean up his footwork before hitting an NFL field, he will be in trouble.

Another factor that gets lost when discussing Bortles is that, contrary to popular belief, he did not put the UCF program on his back and lift it up to national prominence all by himself. He is not Jay Cutler at Vanderbilt nor is he Brett Favre at Southern Mississippi. UCF won football games on the back of a stingy defense that ranked 17th nationally, allowing 21.3 points per game, and a running game that was powered by Storm Johnson (1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns), who could make an immediate impact as a three-down back in the NFL this fall depending on where he lands.

Bortles was not the featured player in the Knights’ offense. The scheme ran first through Johnson and fellow running back William Stanback, and then a quartet of talented playmaking receivers: Rannell Hall, Breshad Perriman, J.J. Worton and Jeff Godfrey. The Knights’ offense was built around the running game, and getting the ball into the hands of the playmakers in a dink-and-dunk passing game featuring plenty of screens. Bortles did a very good job managing all the weapons and making clutch plays when needed, but UCF was far from the “Blake Bortles Show” that most franchise quarterbacks headline in college.

The bottom line

Bortles’ mechanical problems, both with his delivery and footwork, are alarming because they seem to consistently break down when he’s under the most pressure. And most quarterbacks, no matter how well they are taught, revert back to their worst habits in the most stressful times.

However, they are correctable and could be managed if given time and reps with coaches known for developing quarterbacks. Bortles just needs to be drilled to square his shoulders, stride toward the target and drive the ball. If you want to watch the best, pop in a tape of Tom Brady, who is one of the most fundamentally sound passers in NFL history. One of Brady’s former coaches, new Texans coach Bill O’Brien, has a reputation for developing passers who have terrific mechanics. Houston, by the way, happens to be in need a franchise quarterback. Bortles possesses everything O’Brien looks for at the position; Bortles just needs some work.

With the new collective bargaining agreement locking first-round picks into four-year contracts, with a fifth year at the club’s option, Bortles undoubtedly will go in the first round because a team will want that type of control, especially over a player who probably needs a season on the sideline.

So if you’re O’Brien and the Texans, would you take a talent like Bortles first overall and bet on yourself that you can unlock greatness? If you wanted to trade down and take Bortles later on, how long do you wait?

Welcome to the Bortles conundrum.

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he has the highest ceiling of any QB in this draft.

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Bortles, 22, is 6-foot-5 and a very solid 232 pounds, with long arms and decent hand size (11th among quarterbacks at the combine). He is built to withstand the beating that a quarterback can take in the pocket. And despite his 4.93 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Bortles is a good athlete at the position and will be productive with his legs, just as he was in college. While the Knights run a multiple offense, they were primarily a read-option team and Bortles was very much a part of that structure. He made plays with his feet and wasn’t afraid to take a hit. He was also asked to make many throws on the move.

On film, he looks to have above average arm strength and can make all the throws required by an NFL offense. Bortles possessed a good grasp of his offense and his opponents’ defensive schemes, and he had the ability to make checks and some audibles at the line of scrimmage.

He also does a great job of keeping his eyes down field while bodies are flying around him, and he’s not afraid to step up in the pocket and make throws into tight windows.

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what you can’t see is often more important than physical skills. Bortles also measures up in this regard. According to a source on the Knights’ coaching staff, Bortles has “off the charts” intangibles. He’s a great leader, extremely bright and a tireless worker who lives and breathes football. Bortles also seems to have a short memory, meaning mistakes don’t linger. Those are all must-haves when considering a quarterback prospect.

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They may be available but I doubt we draft either one.

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I am convinced the Texans will take Bortles ... if they do it because it leaves my two favored QBs available.

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OK. Teddy and who?