UCF QB Blake Bortles announced via his Twitter account that he intends to throw at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.
Dreamt about the combine since I was a kid! Fired up to compete in all aspects of it, especially throwing!
— Blake Bortles (@BBortles5) February 18, 2014
There was some question if he would participate in all of the drills as fellow quarterback prospect Johnny Manziel elected to pass on doing so and will instead throw at his personal Pro Day later in March.
Clearly, quarterback prospects have a lot on the line throughout the draft process, so welcoming more attention and scrutiny may not be the best strategy for some players. However, with no consensus top quarterback in this year’s draft class, you could make the argument that Bortles has more to gain by putting his arm on display for NFL teams.
- Albert Breer notes that the three of the last four quarterbacks (Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck) to be drafted No. 1 overall didn’t throw at the Scouting Combine with Cam Newton was the only one who did.
There is a contingent of NFL scouts and draft analysts who believe Bortles has the most upside and would be the best fit for new Texans’ HC Bill O-Brien’s offensive system.
We have Bortles going to the Vikings at No. 8 overall in our 2014 NFL Mock Draft.
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Even though I don’t think the Combine tells you anything about a QB’s skills, I only respect those players who do whatever is available for them. I’ll always remember Gabbert not throwing at the Combine…
At least he looks interested in the combine. Not acting like a prima Donna and skip it for his me first solo day. Whatever that is. A private showing. You either go up against everyone or you drop in value because you’re a non team player.