It's been interesting watching the Scouts Inc prospect rankings this year. Teddy Bridgewater started at #2 on the list at the beginning of the college season, behind only Jadaveon Clowney. He maintained something approximating that standing for much of the season, moving down to 3 and then eventually 4 and 5. His stock has plummeted post-season though and he currently stands at #12 overall in terms of Scouts Inc's prospect ratings. Blake Bortles is listed at #15 currently. He's moved up and down as well during the last month or so. Johnny Manziel is the prospect with the most consistency, floating between 18 and 22 all season and currently at his high point. All in all it seems as though Scouts Inc does not believe this to be a great QB draft. Clearly it is better than last year's draft but they have no QB's in the top 10 at this point and with the filing deadline for the draft now past the pool isn't going to get larger.
not really much of a surprise. This is not a great QB class with only Teddy as a potential top five lock. The rest of the class has some of the tools but all are far from sure things. Hell I'm not even sold Johnny football will make it at the next level. Its a good year to grab a mid round prospect for depth as it is a deep class, but its not great at the top.
I agree that there are no lock prospects at QB. I do think that there will be at least 3 that go in the top 5 and maybe even 4, just based on the dire needs of teams at the QB position and the overall lack of talent at the top of the draft. I could see the Rams drafting a QB and trading Bradford. They would clear up $10 million in cap space doing so. They are in a really terrible cap situation right now and Bradford ended another season on IR. I think they could get a first for Bradford from a team like TB, MIN, TEN, NYJ (maybe... don't shoot me), AZ, CIN, or CLE if they don't get a QB at 4. They already have another 1st rounder at 13 where they could take an OL and they have a ton of money invested in Jake Long (who is injured) so I don't know that you draft a long-term LT at #2 overall. Trading Bradford could give them yet another mid-late 1st rounder to go with their new QB and a swing OT like Lewan or Kouandjio, hen they could use their newly-acquired pick to take another receiver. There are loads of receivers who could go anywhere from 15 to 40 who all add serious talent. I don't think it's crazy to say the draft could go: 1 HOU: Manziel 2 STL: Bridgewater 3 JAX: Bortles 4 CLE: Clowney/Carr 5 OAK: Carr/Clowney I don't think Carr makes it past Oakland. I'm not saying I think these are all top-5 players in the draft, but I think cases have been made for each of them by someone. Can you think of a time there were four teams in the top 5 as desperate for a new QB as HOU, JAX, CLE, and OAK are this year? Anyways, just some thoughts.
A first for Sam Bradford? So a team would have to take on his contract and give up their first round pick for a guy who honestly hasnt proven much and is injury prone?
Yeah he's got two years left at $14 million and $13 million for the team that would take him. If the team didn't have a QB and they tried to draft one, that person would probably only get two years to show they were good anyways. Bradford is still just 26 so he should still have a lot of years left. If he works out, they extend him. If he flops, he's off the books and they get to try again. But if those four QBs I mentioned are gone, who would you rather put your faith in? Bradford or Brett Smith? Jimmy Garrappolo? Tajh Boyd? David Fales? Anyways, just spit-balling possibilities.
Yeah... that's my take on it. "Better than last year," while true, is not a glowing endorsement of this year's QB crops. Looks like Bortles leapfrogged up to 2nd best QB prospect - and I have told you times and again how he's not a 1st round talent. He could have been, if he stayed in school one more year to polish his mechanics. If my hunch is correct, he WILL slide down to 2nd round. I just hope Jets can trade down a few times in 1st round, and grab a few 2nd rounders along the way.
1. The world knows Rams are scrounging every penny to make the salary fit into the cap. 2. They will be shopping that #2 pick as well. 3. If they choose to go in different direction, they will have to release Bradford. While tempting, no sane GM will give up #1 round pick AND that massive salary just to secure his service, which was shaky at best.
I believe there is a lot of talent at the top of the draft at this point. I think Clowney, Matthews and Barr are all top 5 talent in any draft. I think you can make an argument also for Greg Robinson and Sammy Watkins in that category. I think the only QB that is possibly top 5 talent is Teddy Bridgewater. I'd be surprised if the teams desperate for a QB early on were desperate enough to use a top 5 pick on anybody buy Bridgewater. Manziel might get taken by somebody on hype but he's really not a top 5 talent player. If Bortles and Carr go in the top 5 the odds are pretty good we're going to see the GM's that make those moves fired in the next few seasons. It's not that those guys aren't talented but reaching for a QB in the top 5 means the guy has to be a star or you are gone fairly quickly. I think Bradford could go for as little as the 68 pick and that's about where I'd peg his value. He's never had a top end season. He's got $27 million in compensation due him over the next two seasons. Those are the only seasons he is under contract for. He's coming off his second serious injury in three seasons. Of course he has all the potential in the world to go along with the negative factors so he's worth the early 3rd rounder.
Teddy Bridgewater lost his ranking because nobody talks about him anymore. He played well enough that, if anything his stock should have risen from#2 to #1. I don't know what Scout Inc. was thinking about with that one.
A 1st for Sam Bradford? And from the Jets at that? ABSOLUTELY NOT....While I wouldn't mind having a guy like Sam Bradford (We'll never win it all with Geno Smith...Just my opinion)...The MOST I would give up for Bradford would be a 4 and a 6 this year and posssibly a 3rd rounder next year( maybe a 2nd round pick in next year's draft)..That's 3 total draft picks for a #1 Overall with a HUGE Contract...I think giving the Rams 2014 4th and 6th round picks and 2015 3rd(maybe 2nd round ) 2015 pick is a fair trade. If not then I'm not interested in Bradford, a guy who hasn't proven much(although I think he could take us farther than Geno w/out a doubt.)
This thread is funny, but I guess it's to be expected considering. This draft is going to be one of the deepest and most talented QB draft classes since 2004--at least on par with the whole 2012 class--the only guy it doesn't have is a Luck-type at the top and while Bridgewater isn't Luck, he's going to be one of the top 7-8 QBs drafted since 2004. But for Mariota going back to school and Mettenberger and Murray having ACLs, this would be a slam dunk QB class. Luck, Griffin (we'll see), Cam, Ryan, Flacco, Cutler, Rodgers --that's about it. Maybe Wilson and Kaep if they keep it up? The 2012 class turned out to be really good with the 2 guys at the top (but again, we have to wait and see on RGIII) and the surprises in Wilson and Foles, lets see where Tanneyhill goes and some depth with Cousins, five starters in all. But this class could be better. And compared to last years class, this class blows it away. 4-5 guys better than anyone drafted last year and another 3-4 who may turn out better as well. Last year--notwithstanding Geno--was a BRUTAL class for QBs. GMs aren't going to get fired for 'overdrafting' QBs this year, GMs are going to get fired for not fixing QB problems and having teams languish for years with mediocre QBs. _
The reason I disagree with you guys is that QBs are a total sellers' market. In my opinion there are more NFL teams than there are NFL quarterbacks, and if you don't have a QB, you don't have a team. As far as the Jets go, when was the last time they (or any of the teams I listed) had a QB with 14 TDs vs. 4 INTs? I'm not saying Sam Bradford is a great QB, but he did pretty well the first year he had a real LT (Jake Long) before his injury. Who do you think would make the Jets better, Eric Ebron or Sam Bradford? If you don't like the contract, what about +3 years, +$20 million? (total 5 years $47 million)
Depends on whether or not Bradford stays healthy. It's really that simple. I wouldn't want to spend a 1st round pick on a player who has ended every other season on IR since his senior year in college. I wouldn't want to spend a 2nd round pick that way either. At early 3rd you're starting to get to the territory where the odds balance out. Very little chance that Bradford signs a cheap extension at this point. He's sitting on $27M in compensation over the next two years and he wants to have a great year and get a Flacco type deal. I'd like the Jets to pick him up, if he was available cheaply, for the things that he might do for us in 2014 and 2015. I doubt that he'll be affordable long-term but what we want right now is the best shot at a championship in 2014 and 2015 and nobody who is going to be available would give the Jets a better shot in those years than Bradford. A rookie means no Super Bowl next year because rookies just don't do that. A veteran pickup will be less skilled than Bradford. Odds on getting to a Super Bowl with a mediocre retread QB are low. So for 2014 and 2015 our hopes basically come down to Geno is much better than expected or the Jets go get a veteran who is much better than Geno.
I understand your thinking, but Bradford just can't stay healthy, and I don't think he's all "that" when he is healthy. The bottom line is I can't see Idzik giving up on Geno this early and especially giving away multiple picks for Bradford, then having to take on $27 million on the cap, which would eat up a huge chunk of the cap space the Jets have. Just not worth it imo and not likely to happen. Personally, I'd rather roll with Geno and McCown or Hill. I don't think Bradford is likely to stay healthy and even if he does, that he is good enough to get the Jets deep in the playoffs much less the SB. I think he would be just good enough to mess up draft position and keep the Jets from being able to draft another franchise QB prospect if Geno doesn't pan out without trading multiple #1 picks, and would just serve to keep the team mired in mediocrity. If Geno isn't going to pan out, I'd rather the Jets' record suck so they can have a shot at getting another QB without giving up the ranch.
You guys give Sanchez 4 years but give Geno only 1... Pump your brakes... Forget Bradford or a QB drafted in the first 3 rounds by the Jets.. Geno is our guy this year.. Lets put some weapons around him and see what he has... This guy could be the damn answer... Stop being so quick to jump ship.. These things take time.
They are jumping the ship BECAUSE they have seen what Sanchez had to offer for 4 years. Geno doesn't look any different. And I pray to the dear Lord that Geno posts up similar 4-2 record come postseason, all on the road. I don't think he will. [And you KNOW I am an atheist.]
I agree with this 98%. Sam Bradford is a china doll and when he's not injured, he's just not that good. I hate the thought of waiting until we know Geno is the answer but maybe not and projecting that we're going to need to draft our franchise QB NEXT year. Take one this year early and assure that you have options. _
Agreed. We shouldn't spend high picks on QBs when we have such glaring weaknesses elsewhere. Geno needs at least another year.
