Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) celebrates after the Russell Athletic Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Louisville Cardinals product Teddy Bridgewater is clearly my No. 1-ranked QB in the 2014 NFL Draft class, and he is the most polished QB prospect in the class due to his ability to look off defenses and read them. Bridgewater could be the No. 1 pick for the Houston Texans, even if most of the Texans-related rumors have been circling around Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur reports that Bridgewater has decided not to throw at the Combine, and this is pretty surprising news that is even more interesting given the amount of top QBs that have decided not to throw at the Combine. Of the “big four” quarterback prospects, only UCF product Bortles will throw at the showcase even this year. Manziel and Derek Carr have both decided not throw at the Combine either, and Manziel will throw at a private pro day after Texas A&M’s pro day, while Carr will throw at Fresno State’s pro day.
So when will Bridgewater throw? That’s going to be something interesting to watch for, and it’s surprising to hear that someone as competitive as Bridgewater isn’t going to throw. Why are these top QBs opting not to throw at the Combine? What’s the reasoning? I wonder if we’ll have answers to those questions, but Bridgewater also didn’t have much to prove at the Combine anyway. Since three QBs have decided not to throw, I don’t think teams will dock anyone, but this should also help Bortles’s stock a tad.