The three headline quarterbacks of the NFL Draft- Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles- all have visions of being a franchise quarterback for their respective teams. However, the process to becoming one the NFL’s elite starts with season No. 1.
The Jacksonville Jaguars committed to Bortles at pick No. 3, the Cleveland Bronws picked Manziel at No. 22 and Bridgewater became the last pick of the first round when the Minnesota Vikings moved up to assure they’d get a quality rookie quarterback. With all the NFL Draft headlines gone, it’s time to get to work for these three hyped quarterbacks, but which is in for a more successful rookie season?
Let’s start with Bortles, who shocked many when he went at pick No. 3 to the Jaguars. Bortles will most likely start Week 1 with a revamped offense, which includes wide receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, whom the team picked in the second round. He certainly has a chance to throw for a significant total.
However, Bortles finds himself in the AFC South, with the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. These teams ranked No.13, No. 3 and No. 11 in the league in pass defense. Plus, the Andrew Luck led Colts offense should have its way with Jacksonville all season, leading to a tough road ahead for Bortles.
The Cleveland Browns made it clear that newly-drafted quarterback Johnny Manziel was in line for the second quarterback spot at the moment. However, anyone who has watched football in the past five years knows that, barring any mishaps, Manziel will suit up as starter on Week 1.
Manziel inherits an offense that features tight end Jordan Cameron and offseason acquisition Ben Tate. With these weapons in place, Manziel will have some help. However, the potential loss of wide receiver Josh Gordon leaves him without a reliable No. 1 receiver.
The loss of Gordon will hurt Manziel, as he faces the tough AFC North defenses of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. All three ranked in the Top 12 in the league in pass defense and could very well end up there again. Plus, each has been relatively strong in containing mobile quarterbacks, which will make it hard for Manziel to orchestrate his patented bail-out plays.
That leaves us with Teddy Bridgewater, the quarterback who I believe will have the best chance to succeed in 2014. Bridgewater enters an offense that already has one of the top running backs in the game in Adrian Peterson and reliable receiving threats Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson to throw to.
The Vikings defense was very weak last year, but the opposing pass defenses in the NFC North are nothing to rave about, either. The Chicago Bears rank the highest in passing defense, at 15th in the NFL, followed by the Detroit Lions at No. 23 and Green Bay Packers at No. 25. With opposing defenses giving Bridgewater a chance to find his receiver, he may have an easier route to success.
Bridgewater completed 70.1 percent of his passes last season at Louisville, better than Manziel (69.9) and Bortles (67.8). If he can keep this consistency up in 2014, he could definitely make a worthy replacement for Christian Ponder.
If the final game of his college career against a poor pass defense in Miami, where he threw for 447 yards and three touchdowns, is any indication, Bridgewater could be in for strong first year.