QB Bortles gains edge on competition at combine
Why not throw at the NFL scouting combine?
Blake Bortles approached Sunday’s quarterback screen test with a “Let it rip” mind-set, a decision that might have helped boost the former Central Florida quarterback’s draft stock.
Bortles stood out with a strong, accurate performance, especially after two of his competitors for the No. 1 pick in the May 8 draft, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, opted to wait until their pro day showcases for all 32 teams.
Strong-armed, 6-5, 232-pound Bortles, who happened to wear the No. 1 on Sunday, impressed with his competitive spirit and precision and wowed with his fi- nal throw — a 45-yard deep post corner route to Pittsburg (Kan.) State receiver John Brown.
It was the sweetest rope by any quarterback in the morning group, which included Alabama’s AJ McCarron, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Eastern Illinois product Jimmy Garoppolo.
“Bortles was by far the best quarterback,” former NFL quar-
terback Jim Miller, a Chicago Bears and Sirius NFL Radio analyst, told USA TODAY Sports. “Bortles is the real deal. ... He probably runs better than Ben Roethlisberger. I’m not going to say he’s an Andrew Luck, but when tacklers are draped on him, Bortles can still deliver the football.”
Former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian was among a news media contingent sitting inside a Lucas Oil Stadium luxury suite to watch Bortles and company in their combine auditions. Polian, an ESPN analyst, said Bortles had the physical and mental traits requisite of a firstround selection.
But he cautioned that the prototypical drop-back passer who threw for 3,581 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2013 could use a year of NFL development.
Bortles conceded he was raw when he said Friday, “I need coaching. I need help. I think everybody in the game does.”
Polian was most impressed by Garoppolo’s throwing but questioned the decision by potential first-rounder and Fresno State standout Derek Carr not to compete at the combine.
He is the younger brother of former Houston Texans washout David Carr.
“I think Derek Carr made a mistake by not throwing,” Polian said. “People have long memories, and even though he’s his own guy, they may hold his brother against him. This was his chance to put some distance between that perception.”
Texans coach Bill O’Brien, whose team selects first overall, credited Bortles for his competitive moxie. Bortles led Central Florida to a September road upset of O’Brien’s Penn State team, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns.
“They beat us, and I thought he threw the ball well that night,” O’Brien said Friday. “He is a big guy, athletic, competitive guy. It has been fun to watch him play on tape.”
That chance to compete is why Bortles came to Indianapolis.
With the way he popped his
“Bortles is the real deal. ... He probably runs better than Ben Roethlisberger.” Former NFL quarterback Jim Miller, on Blake Bortles
throws, he might even have gained a leg up with some evaluators on Manziel and Bridgewater for being unafraid to work out with his fellow prospects.
McCarron, with his 36-4 career record at Alabama, had an uneven morning, flashing plenty of arm when he hit all three of his deep fade and post corner routes. But he was inconsistent when he had to throw out routes to the left side.
“It’s very difficult for the quarterback, because they never develop any rhythm and they’re throwing to different receivers on different routes,” Polian said of McCarron, whom he views as a third- or fourth-round pick.
“So you don’t put a lot of stock in completions or incompletions. I thought he looked good in virtually every facet.”