Jacksonville Jaguars 2014 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks All Over the Place
By Daniel Lago
Dec 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) gives instructions during the first quarter of the Russell Athletic Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 NFL Draft is only 2 days away, which means it is time for conflicting reports to come in and throw a wrench into the works. By far the most volatile position as far as “draft stock” this year has been quarterback. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was once thought to be in the discussion for the first overall pick, but the draft process has supposedly chipped away at his stock to the point where he might be a 2nd round pick. Some of the criticism directed towards Bridgewater has been about his perceived lack of charisma and personality. Well now Matt Waldman is reporting Bridgewater might not have any personality concerns.
NFL source confirms that Teddy Bridgewater scored "exceptionally high" on personality assessment http://t.co/vQZUi3HLs7
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) May 6, 2014
Apparently there is a league-used personality assessment for draft prospects, and Bridgewater seems to have aced it.
"What the source has confirmed is that Bridgewater scored exceptionally well on his personality assessment-very close to the highest possible score. Bridgewater scored high in these categories: Focus, Interpersonal skills, Dedication, Self Efficacy, Affective Commitment."
Bridgewater’s ability to be an effective leader has been a point of contention in the media, but it really might be a red herring floating around to mislead teams. Regardless, it seems there might be some people trying to make the quarterback rankings even messier. While some analysts have been pretty consistent with their quarterback rankings (see below), there are plenty who change their opinion based on what they hear from NFL teams.
My top 5 QB's: 1) Bridgewater 2) Manziel 3) Bortles 4) Carr 5) Garoppolo
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) May 6, 2014
Another quarterback getting thrown into the fire, this time by Peter King, is Central Florida product Blake Bortles. Conventional wisdom says Bortles is a lock for the top 10, but King couldn’t find a good spot for him in the 1st round.
In his mock @SI_PeterKing says “I couldn’t find a Bortles lover,” has him @ 26. I have same dilemma. Can’t find the team that has him in 1st
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 6, 2014
Couple all this with the speculation of the St. Louis Rams taking Johnny Manziel at number 2 overall and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen on Thursday. I think general manager David Caldwell will manage to get out of the 1st round with his guy at quarterback.
-Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89