With the 2014 NFL Draft less than a week away, the time for guessing and evaluating is over.
ESPN draft gurus Todd McShay and Mel Kiper released a three-round mock draft in which they alternated in making selections. Once again, Teddy Bridgewater was not a first round selection.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said this week on the "Path to the Draft" special that Bridgewater is not a franchise quarterback.
"What I'm hearing is two things. Number one, when we saw him throw live we didn't see arm strength and didn't see accuracy," Mayock said. "Number two, when you draft a quarterback in the first round you expect him to be the face of your franchise, you expect him to embrace the moment. I think people had some concerns about whether or not this young man is ready to step up and be the face of a franchise."
Despite this year's quarterback draft not stacking up as an all-time great, McShay and Kiper predicted three passers to be taken in the first round. Kiper took Johnny Manziel for the Browns, Blake Bortles eighth for the Vikings and Derek Carr 20th for the Cardinals.
With the first pick in the second round, McShay took Bridgewater for the Texans and Tom Savage for the Jaguars with the third pick in the second round. Bridgewater was seen as a potential number-one-overall selection for the Texans in McShay's first mock draft.
ESPN's Darren Rovell recently learned Bridgewater added $5 million to his $10 million disability insurance policy to cover "loss of value." If he can prove an injury or illness and is taken outside the first round, he will collect $5 million tax-free.
Bridgewater has not had an apparent injury or illness, so his loss of draft stock is a mystery. However, it could be beneficial to the Texans, who could potentially land Jadeveon Clowney and Bridgewater.
