NFL Scout tells me expect a run on quarterbacks in the 1st round but only one is worth it
Today I spoke with an NFL scout of an AFC team that told me to expect a run on quarterbacks in the first round. When I asked him about the quarterbacks he had some interesting things to say. First thing he said to me was that only one quarterback was worth a first round pick in his opinion. He went on to rave about Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville, saying
“Teddy has a very good arm, great vision, and understands pocket presence. The other quarterbacks are no where near Teddy’s abilities, but their is such a major need right now for a Savior quarterback teams are going to try their hand.”
I went on to ask him if with the new CBA in place it was ok to take a risk on drafting a quarterback high, and he responded saying “Since the draft pay scale has changed the first round pick is not necessarily a must hit anymore. Teams will take the best player available and sit them and try to develop them.”
I then asked him how many quarterbacks he thought would be drafted in the first round and he replied:
I would expect 4 quarterbacks to be taken in the first round, but if you were to ask me Teddy Bridgewater is a top 10 guy and the others are 2nd to 3rd rounders.
I asked the scout about the other three quarterbacks and he said he would not be surprised to see a team take Johnny Manziel (but he did state he would stay away from him), Blake Bortles and Derek Carr.
I asked him to rate those quarterbacks and put a grade or draft number besides them and he said:
Teddy Bridgewater – Top 10
Derek Carr – Should be Early 2nd but expects him to go in top 10
Johnny Manziel – Said he should be a 3rd round prospect but sees him going in the top 5
Blake Bortles – Said he is very raw, and should be a late round pick but will be taken top 10
I asked him why he thought Johnny Manziel would go “Top 5” and he said the NFL is a “COPY CAT” league. If one team has success with something another team is going to try it. With quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, and Cam Newton all having success, I would expect a team to take Manziel and hope for the best.
I then asked him if he was a GM and had the Texans pick what he would do?
“I would try to trade out of the first pick in the draft, because their is better value in the back end of the draft. If I was in charge I would explore the options of trading for both Kirk Cousins and/or Ryan Mallett. If I had to pick a player at one I would select Jadeveon Clowney.”
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