Blake Bortles Grades Out Below Other Rookie Quarterbacks?

When he selected Blake Bortles with the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell made it abundantly clear the plan was to sit the rookie signal caller for as long as possible – ideally the entire 2014 NFL season. The hope was veteran quarterback Chad Henne could hold down the fort until Bortles was ready to go.

Despite their adamancy, the Jaguars relented and handed the Bortles the starting job halfway through a week 3 blowout against the Indianapolis Colts. Since then he’s been about what you’d expect from a raw prospect who declared for the draft after his junior year – inconsistent with flashes of both brilliance and disaster.

In his most recent review of the rookie quarterbacks, Erik Lambert over at NFL Mocks rates Bortles as third among the three rookies who have started the most games.

"Blake BortlesTaken:  #3 overall by Jacksonville JaguarsStarted:  Week 4Stats:  1,972 yards, 8 TDs, 14 INTsThe Jacksonville Jaguars were certain enough about Blake Bortles that they didn’t think they needed to trade back before taking him at #3.  Their initial plan was to bring him along slowly but the poor play of Chad Henne and a losing record compelled them to get him in and start gaining experience.  It’s hard to figure out where Bortles is because he’s playing on such a young offense that still lacks a solid offensive line.  He certainly has physical ability that flashes constantly, but he has to learn to take better care of the football."

I won’t argue too much with Lambert’s assessment as far as actual performance so far this season. Bortles has been by far the most reckless of the three, and he hasn’t had as many “wow” throws in recent weeks. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t exceeded the lofty expectations some set after he had such a terrific preseason.

I don’t have a problem with Lambert ranking Carr as the best performer among the rookie QBs so far this season (even though I wouldn’t really say he’s been impressive), but I do take issue with his final sentence in the piece:

"There is no question as the 2014 class goes, Carr has the brightest NFL future."

I disagree – I highly doubt any general manager right now would take Carr over Bortles or even Bridgewater if they had the option. 11 games into a season (7 for Bortles actually) is not enough time to make such a definitive statement, especially considering what each player has around him. Lambert props up Carr having the most yards and touchdowns (which is irrelevant because he’s started the most games), but he conspicuously leaves out his awful 5.54 yards per attempt average, good for worst in the league by a whopping 0.34 yards per attempt and 1.37 yards per attempt worse than Bortles. I’m not saying Bortles is a better quarterback and will be better in the long run, but we haven’t seen enough from any of these guys to say they have the brightest future “without question.”