Blake Bortles Among Top 10 Arms in NFL
By Luke Sims
The news around Blake Bortles continues to impress and that’s a good thing for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The latest comes from Chris Wesseling at NFL.com who put together a ranking of the biggest arms in the NFL. Coming in at number 10 was a pleasant surprise for the Jags as the third overall pick from 2014 squeaked in above the likes of Tom Brady.
Here’s what Wesseling had to say about the Jags’ new starter:
"The No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft gained 20 yards or more on one-third of his preseason passes versus less than 10 percent for Chad Henne. According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, Bortles had the NFL’s highest accuracy percentage on preseason deep throws. Bortles also made a series of impressive stick throws from the pocket and was accurate on the move.NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah believes Bortles has already improved his velocity from college by incorporating more of his lower body into throws. With the rookie taking the reins in Week 4, Jaguarsfans finally have reasonable expectations for exciting football."
It was good to see Bortles ranking up there with some of the best quarterbacks. While having Robert Griffin III right above him at number nine isn’t a great endorsement, being near Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger (who Bortles is frequently favorably compared to), and Aaron Rodgers certainly is.
It’s obvious watching Bortles pass that he is leaps and bounds ahead of his predecessor, Chad Henne in arm strength. It seems like Bortles is able to make all the throws in large part because of his big arm and h’e sable to launch the ball with relative ease. Hopefully the Jags will be able to stretch the field more because after the past few seasons of dinking and dunking on short passes and bubble screens, I’m ready to see the quarterback open it up.
If last week’s second half is any indication, Bortles will certainly be letting it rip this season.