Miami Dolphins Scout’s Take: 2014 Quarterback Class
Jan 1, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Central Florida Knights quarterback Blake Bortles (5) against the Baylor Bears during the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Central Florida defeated Baylor 52-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 NFL Draft has a fairly talented crop of quarterbacks. Okay, they’re not overly talented such as that 2012 class, but there are numerous quarterbacks whom have seen loads of success throughout their collegiate careers.
The obvious here is that the Miami Dolphins will not be interested in selecting a quarterback with any of their top selections as they already have “their guy” in third-year quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, and they need to find some guys to protect him rather than adding someone to “light a fire under his butt”.
That being said, the Miami Dolphins may be interested in adding one of the quarterback options remaining towards the end of the 2014 NFL Draft. Who could that be?
Here are my top 10 Quarterback prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft:
- Teddy Bridgewater – Junior – Louisville
- Blake Bortles – Junior – UCF
- Johnny Manziel – Sophomore – Texas A& M
- Derek Carr – Senior – Fresno State
- Jimmy Garoppolo – Senior – Eastern Illinois
- A.J. McCarron – Senior – Alabama
- David Fales – Senior – San Jose State
- Zach Mettenberger – Senior – LSU
- Tajh Boyd – Senior – Clemson
- Brett Smith – Junior – Wyoming
Now that right there looks like a talented list, doesn’t it?
Let’s take a look a deeper look into this class:
“Can’t Miss” – Teddy Bridgewater – Lousiville
Nov 16, 2013; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) prepares to throw the ball against the Houston Cougars during the first quarter at Papa John
I’m taking Teddy Bridgewater here as my “can’t miss” prospect in this year’s quarterback class for a few reasons.
- He has been at the top of the quarterback rankings for the 2014 draft class ever since his freshman season when we really saw a glimpse of what he could do.
- He’s in consideration for the number one overall selection, which if he indeed is the number one draft pick, he will inherit one of the league’s best offensive unit’s from a skill level stand point.
- He has all of the tools needed to become one of the best in this league, he just needs to fine tune a few things here and there.
Teddy Brigewater obviously still has some mechanical flaws that he will need to fix, along with some question marks he must answer via workouts and the NFL Combine – arm strength?, deep ball accuracy?, etc. That being said, he will still be the top quarterback off the board this season.
“Over-rated” – Johnny Manziel – Texas A&M
Nov 30, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Texas A
Now calm down for a second, I am not saying Johnny “football” is a bad football player, nor am I suggesting he will totally bottom out once he enters the league. What I am saying, however, is that this kid is 100% OVER-RATED.
Johnny Manziel has struggled at times on and off the field. He has a certain arrogance about him, which is a good and downright awful thing. He is in for a rude awakening once he enters the league.
Manziel’s game is predicated on his ability to escape the pocket and extend the play by either rolling out and “buying” time, or using his legs. Ask Washington Redskins‘ QB Robert Griffin III how that worked out for him during his rookie season. Manziel’s frame suggests he will not be able to hold up against monstrous hits that his arrogance may cause, IE there will be a target on his back as the game progresses if he runs his mouth like he is known to do.
- As you can tell…I’m not a Johnny Manziel fan… –
“Risk-Reward” – Logan Thomas – Virginia Tech
Sep 26, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Logan Thomas (3) throws a pass in the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Virginia Tech won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Why is Logan Thomas my risk-reward prospect? Well, I’ll tell ya son. Thomas is a 6’6” 250 pound quarterback with a strong arm and great ability. He put together some games during his tenure as the Hokies‘ signal caller that simply made you go….wow. Aaaaand, he put together games that made you go, what?
Thomas has all of the ability to be one of the top players in this year’s draft class, but he needs a strict coaching staff to correct his bad habits and fix his mechanical flaws.
Thomas tends to let his arm strength over-power his accuracy more often than not, while he also tends to take that “gunslinger” – Brett Favre-like attitude towards the game. He will need some excellent coaching, and a smart general manager to put together an offense that caters to his raw abilities.
That being said, this kid can end up being a late round draft pick blossoming into a prime NFL signal caller. Only time will tell if he can put it together.
“Dark-Horse” – Jimmy Garoppolo – Eastern Illinois
Aug 31, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Eastern Illinois Panthers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) drops back to pass during the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
It seems fitting, doesn’t it? Jimmy Garoppolo’s stock has been rising for weeks upon weeks now, and it does not seem like it will be stopping anytime soon.
He is a 6’2” 219 pound prospect ailing from the lesser known University of Eastern Illinois, yet he will likely be a second-round selection come May. Garoppolo is one of the better signal callers this season and has flashed his ability during the Senior Bowl’s week of festivities.
Could Garoppolo find his way into the late portion of the first round? It certainly would not surprise me, but he would have to sway some GMs to over-look his sudden climb to stardom after competing against lesser talented schools than those of the A.J. McCarrons and Zach Mettenbergers.