Fourteen quarterbacks were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. Central Florida's Blake Bortles was the first when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the third pick. Southern Methodist's Garrett Gilbert was the last with with the 214th pick by the St. Louis Rams. All fourteen have the shot that they've been shooting for since they were little guys. Johnny Manziel, Aaron Murray, and Tajh Boyd are still considered little guys. If they were bigger guys they would probably have been selected earlier than they were. None of the fourteen quarterbacks drafted are expected to start as rookies. That was the interesting thing about this draft. There was a surplus of talented quarterbacks but each would take a little to time before they were ready to start in the NFL. That doesn't mean that none will start early in their careers. I expect Manziel to start for the Cleveland Browns. If not right away, I expect him to start at some point early in the season. As I learn more about Teddy Bridgewater the more I feel that he'll wrestle the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback job from Matt Cassel. Bortles may have been the top pick but that was all about his potential. Despite being selected before Manziel and Bridgewater, Bortles was thought to the least ready of the three to start right away. If Chad Henne hits some rough patches with as the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback, Bortles probably will get the call early. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of the quarterbacks selected later in the draft see the field early in their careers. Tom Savage is in a good place with the Houston Texans. If the contract negotiations between the Kansas City Chiefs and Alex Smith go awry, Aaron Murray could step in. I really think that Murray has a bright future in the NFL.
All fourteen quarterbacks, as well as those signed as undrafted free agents, have taken their first steps as NFL players. Many have even taken their first steps on the football fields for their new teams. Many teams kicked off their Rookie Mini-Camps this weekend. Derek Carr fumbled his first snap as a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. That shouldn't be too much of a surprise as he rarely took snaps from under center at Fresno St. He'll be fine. Zach Mettenberger completed a deep pass on his first pass with the Tennessee Titans. Bridgewater's early NFL steps have been brilliant. He's doing all the right things to become the franchise quarterback that has been long-sought in Minnesota. Most, if not all, of the early picks flew to their new homes after their selections for "meet and greets" and press conferences. Then turned around and flew home. Bridgewater stayed in Minnesota. He had his belongings shipped to him. He went to a Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Playoff game with new teammate Cordarrelle Patterson. Afterwards, he went over the playbook with Patterson. He spent the last week working, field work and film work, with fellow Vikings quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder. He's thrown passes to tight end Kyle Rudolph. It sounds like he's been at the team facilities around the clock. In a few days, Bridgewater has shown the dedication to getting better that I've always envied in quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson and always hoped for in a Vikings quarterback. It's so refreshing to see that sort of quarterback in Minnesota. I hope that his early baby steps become much bigger.
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