NFL Draft Summary

by Devin Cloherty 

Each spring, all 32 NFL teams and their executives gather in New York City to pick the best and boldest prospects in college football.  Some players pan out, others bust, and a few even greatly exceed expectations.  Year after year, teams strive to find the man they can base their organization around.  More often than not, this savior is a quarterback, the hero of the gridiron.

                This year’s quarterback class featured a few elite quarterbacks, expected to make an instant impact, in addition to a few QB’s who have a ways to go before achieving NFL stardom.  The 3 biggest names in the draft were all picked in the first round of the draft; Blake Bortles to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnny Manziel to the Cleaveland Browns, and Teddy Bridgewater to the Minnesota Vikings.

                All three of these teams are in need of a franchise QB, and a serious turnaround.  Jacksonville is relying heavily on 3^rd overall pick Blake Bortles , the highest drafted QB this season.  In college, Bortles’s stats were not necessarily outrageous, but his film was more than impressive.  Blake had a knack for winning in college, backed up by his excellent passer rating, decision making, and ability to move both in and out of the pocket.  Most NFL analysts agree that Blake is far and away the most polished and NFL ready of the quarterback class, excellent news for woeful Jags fans coming off a four-win season and 6 year playoff draught.

                With the 22^nd pick in the draft, The Cleveland Browns selected the biggest name in college football, Johnny Manziel.  After just two seasons of stirring the pot on and off the field, Johnny Football declared himself draft eligible.  Manziel won a laundry list of awards his freshman year en route to smashing records for total offensive production.  Though a barrage of controversy swirled around Manziel between his freshman and sophomore years, he bounced back with ridiculous number in 2013.  In his sophomore season, he quietly threw for 37 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards, in addition to rushing for 9 touchdowns and 760 yards.  The Browns have played in postseason since 2002, but with the introduction of walking headline Johnny Manziel, things are looking up.

                The last of the three major QB’s in the draft was 32^nd overall pick, Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings.  Bridgewater has drawn criticism for his fragility and inconsistency, despite boasting a monstrous stat sheet and leading Louisville to 10 victories.  Bridgewater is arguably the most naturally gifted of the QB’s in the draft, noted for his spectacular arms strength and ability to avoid the pass rush and throw on the run.  Since Brett Favre’s retirement in the 2010, the Vikings have struggled valiantly to fill the void at Quarterback.  Only a year removed from the playoffs, the Vikings have the potential to threaten the NFC between Bridgewater and former MVP running back Adrian Peterson. 

                Over the next few rounds, the Raiders, Patriots, Texans, Cardinals, and Bengals all picked decent young prospects to compete for and deepen the quarterback position on their team.  Derek Carr and Tom Savage have a fighting chance to start for the Raiders and Texans respectively.  Even the QB’s picked in the later rounds could prove themselves in years to come.  Unexpected young stars pop up all the time.  Perhaps the next Tom Brady and Russell Wilson will show up in the NFL.  Only time will tell the impact of this year’s quarterback class will have on the NFL.