With the 3rd Pick of the 2014 Draft the Jaguars Select: Blake Bortles
- Updated: May 8, 2014
Why this works: Wow! A bit of a shocker here. I would’ve selected Khalil Mack, and addressed the quarterback position later in the draft. Bortles is my top-rated quarterback, and if he works out, he would fill the Jaguars’ biggest area of need. He may need a year or two, but he does have nearly all of the qualities you look for in a franchise quarterback.
Draft Day Grade: B
Player Profiles courtesy of Nick Sardina – Editor Football Memo
Blake Bortles, QB, 6-5, 232, Central Florida
Key stats: Passed for 3,581 yards with 25 TDs and 9 interceptions in 2013.
Strengths: Bortles is a big, tough and mobile QB with good pocket awareness, which is huge in transitioning to the NFL. … Is extremely accurate while on the move. … Has good feel within the pocket, and is very adept at avoiding rushers while still keeping his eyes downfield. … Is very tough and will deliver passes while taking hits. … Has good mobility and will excel on rollouts. He does a good job of still looking for receivers while scrambling, but also has enough speed to take off and run when necessary. Accurate and has good timing with short and intermediate throws.
Weaknesses: Has average arm strength and needs to improve his technique throwing from the pocket. … Doesn’t consistently step into throws. Needs to improve on his deep passes as some float and give defensive backs too much time to react to the ball. Stares down receivers on occasion and needs to cut down on the handful of times per game when he throws the ball into coverage instead of checking it down. … Did bulk of his damage inside the hash marks. … Needs to work from behind center.
Conclusion: I have Bortles as my top-rated quarterback. He really does almost everything well. He just needs experience in reading defenses, and must improve anticipating and throwing receivers open. Bortles is far from a finished product, and if he continues on this trajectory, he will become the best quarterback in this draft. However, it’s difficult to put complete faith in a QB that really had just one strong season.
NFL comparison(s): Ryan Tannehill/Ben Roethlisberger.
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