There are a lot of players who came out of this draft that will have a chance at instant relevance in the NFL. The Quarterbacks who should have an impact during this 2014 season include…
Blake Bortles (Jaguars): Bortles was probably the most surprising pick in this draft at 3rd overall. Although there are those experts who had Bortles as the top QB in the draft it felt like more people saw Manziel as being the top QB in the draft and possibly the first overall pick. With this pick the Jags likely will push Bortles to be their opening day starter and by adding receiving weapons Marquise Lee and Allen Robinson through the draft on top of Cecil Shorts, they’ve set him up to be relevant. With Toby Gerhart or Jordan Todman being the likely starting RB it seems the Jags will likely lean heavily on Bortles. I believe Bortles can represent a poor mans Andrew Luck or Cam Newton being a large QB with the ability to make plays with his feet. With the recent possible season long suspension that Josh Gordon is facing I see Bortles being the top fantasy QB among rookies this season.
Johnny Manziel (Browns): The Browns made a lot of moves this Draft but the one everybody’s still talking about is drafting Johnny Manziel. He will likely be the opening day starter but unfortunately for him one day after being drafted it was reported Josh Gordon failed his second drug test and will likely face suspension for the 2014 season. This leaves Manziel with Jordan Cameron and then a lot of WR3 type players, no real main targets. Although Manziel will likely face some challenges with his weapons he’s the type of player who can turn nothing into something with his talent. With his talent alone I can see Manziel being similar to RG3 in his rookie season and Manziel will be playing under the same Offensive Coordinator RG3 played under with Kyle Shanahan. Although I predict Bortles finishing with the best stats for rookie QB’s and Bridgewater being the only rookie QB making the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Manziel proved me wrong and completed both those accomplishments. He’s the most talked about player from this draft and with good reason. I’ll be tuning in to see how he does week in and week out.
Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings): Teddy was another value pick for the Vikings since at one point this off-season people had him possibly being the number one overall pick. Bridgewater steps into a great situation in Minnesota with Norv Turner at Offensive Coordinator plus he gets two play with two great receivers in Greg Jennings and Up and coming star Cordarrelle Patterson. On top of his receivers he has a big young TE who is an excellent red zone target in Kyle Rudolph and probably the best RB in the NFL to take pressure off with Adrian Peterson. He’s playing in a tough division but only because there are lots of good QB’s in his division, when it comes to defense he should have an easy time against a lot of these NFC North teams. Bridgewater is my favorite out of the rookie QB’s to make it to the playoffs this season.
Tom Savage (Texans): It took 4 rounds but the Texans finally drafted a QB. Savage is a rare QB mostly because he played as a freshman for Rugters and didn’t play another game until his senior year for Pittsburgh. He wasn’t a top prospect and didn’t receive that great of a draft grade. With all that said he has a chance to start sometime this season for the Houston Texans. With Fitzpatrick and Keenum as the only competition it wouldn’t be surprising if Savage earned a start for a few games. Although Savage did have a couple good seasons in college I highly expect his biggest impact in the NFL to be as a placeholder until the Texans find a true franchise QB. I’m sorry Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, maybe next year.
