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2015 NFL Draft sleeper: Quarterback Brandon Bridge

By Keegan Matheson

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Talk surrounding the 2015 NFL Draft remains focused on Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, but looking much deeper into the quarterback class, there’s a sleeper in the form of South Alabama’s Brandon Bridge. The 23-year old from Mississauga, Ontario might just have the strongest arm in the 2015 NFL Draft, and as one of NFL Spin Zone’s Canadian writers, I’m here to sell you on the man they call Air Canada.

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Brandon Bridge is looking to become the first Canadian quarterback drafted since Jesse Palmer went in the 4th round out of Florida in 2001. After a 2014 season that saw him complete just 52.1% of his passes for 1,927 yards, 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, Bridge was invited to the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where he continued to wow scouts with his arm strength.

After measuring in at 6’4″, 229 pounds with room for more on his frame, Bridge’s 34 3/4″ arms allow him to catapult the ball over the top, or tuck it in and use his 4.72-second speed in the 40-yard dash, which I see playing much quicker on tape as he uses his athleticism to impact from outside the pocket. With a prototypical body and this exceptional arm strength, then, why is Bridge pigeonholed as a late-round project?

Bridge’s greatest struggle at South Alabama was the consistency of his mechanics, which limited his accuracy severely on short and intermediate routes. When he fully committed his body to throwing a deep pass, his accuracy was fantastic, but his arm strength allows him to simply flick his wrist for 20-yard throws. That ultimately worked against him, and often led to “fadeaway” throws off his back foot. Game after game, I would see Bridge display better accuracy on a 50-yard pass than on a quick slant.

South Alabama kept Bridge almost primarily in the shotgun formation through 2014, not often asking him to scan through multiple progressions, so his decision-making and football I.Q. will be put under the microscope leading up to the draft. Part of his short-area inconsistencies come down to his arm being too much, too often, as he blows fireballs past his slot receivers when they’re expecting something softer.

His game against Mississippi State is a great case study, because it features the entire spectrum of Bridge’s game. In the first minute alone, you’ll see misplaced short balls, smooth completions and one of the finer deep balls you’ll see from a 2015 prospect. Move to the 51-second mark, and you’ll see the very thing that causes me to label Air Canada a sleeper. After scanning the left sideline, he flips his head to the heart of the field, unleashing an accurate 50-yard pass with the effort that it takes most people to change the channel.

Pay close attention to how Bridge steps in to that pass with his entire body. That’s what is missing from his short and intermediate throws, and it will determine the success he has at the NFL level. Since I’m advocating from Bridge’s corner here, too, I want you to be critical of the wide receiver’s drop on that pass that should have went for a touchdown. Bridge had very little top-end talent on the outside and was plagued by drops in 2014. That certainly isn’t the difference between day one and day three of the draft, but it’s a part of his college profile that we can’t dismiss.

When the later rounds arrive and I’m a coach with a quarterback in their 30’s, I’m standing on the table for Brandon Bridge. He will not see the field in year one, and likely won’t in year two, either. He will, however, give a quality quarterback coach one of the most talent pieces of clay that this draft class has to offer. On a roster like New Orleans, Dallas, Denver or the New York Giants, Brandon Bridge would be given the proper development time needed to reach his huge potential.

Next: Mock Draft: Marcus Mariota to the Chargers

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