Mike Mayock: I wouldn’t use a first-round pick on Teddy Bridgewater

AP

Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was once viewed as a potential first overall pick of the Texans in this year’s NFL draft. Now he may not even be a Top 32 pick.

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock is the latest to say that Bridgewater looked so bad in his Pro Day that it’s a reason to re-evaluate everything he put on tape.

“If I was a GM in the NFL, I would not take him in the first round of the draft,” Mayock said of Bridgewater on the Petros and Money Show, via NFL.com.

Mayock said he liked what he saw on tape from Bridgewater, but he had no choice to change his mind after seeing Bridgewater throw in person at Louisville.

“I would say in general, tape is worth about 85 percent of an overall grade, and the rest of the process is set up for red flags, and to go back and watch more tape to try to confirm what you saw or didn’t see,” Mayock said. “I saw about four of his tapes prior to the combine, and I really liked him. I thought he had a chance to be a franchise quarterback from what I saw on the tape. . . . Except you’ve got to see the quarterbacks throw the ball live. I’ve never seen a top-level quarterback in the last 10 years have a bad pro day, until Teddy Bridgewater. He had no accuracy, the ball came out funny, the arm strength wasn’t there, and it made me question everything I saw on tape because this was live.”

So maybe the Texans will take Bridgewater. With the 33rd pick.

90 responses to “Mike Mayock: I wouldn’t use a first-round pick on Teddy Bridgewater

  1. That’s stupid, so I guess he wasn’t live against competition the past two years. One day in shorts erases 2years of game tape….idiotic

  2. The four letter network showed the pro day tape and it looked like the guy was trying to show Major League Baseball scouts his knuckleball.

    Weak, wobbly and off target – have to think you can as well or better in the later rounds.

  3. There’s plenty of time for Teddy to revive his stock afterall there’s what…another 6 weeks till draft?! Teddy can do round 2 of the dog & pony show known as “private workouts” for all 32 teams again, why not…nothing to lose at this point.

  4. I hope this kid dominates the NFL after he has been dragged down by all the analysts. He may not be Mr. Flashy with the quit witted media but he does have an endless drive to be perfect.

  5. I get what he is saying, but it was also just ONE day. If he had a week of pro days and still looked bad then I could understand being very weary. Then again, Mayock is considered one of the best so who knows…

  6. I hope this kid dominates the NFL after he has been dragged down by all the analysts. He may not be Mr. Flashy with the quick-witted media but he does have an endless drive to be perfect.

  7. I saw Teddy Bridgewater demolish the Gators in the Sugar Bowl last year and the Gators were getting after him, really punishing him. I also saw the clips from his pro day and some of those throws were surprisingly poor. Whichever GM picks him will be sleeping poorly until the games start and Bridgewater shines. As long as he wears the gloves!

  8. Agreed. And after this draft is finally done, I’d be interested to see how Mayock, Kiper and others scored on their mock drafts.

  9. From the same guy who said Jimmy Clausen was sure fire top ten pick…..then was steal in the 2nd round.👌

  10. I said it on here time and time again, this guy is geno smith 2.0. He is not franchise qb because he never played anybody in college of any substance on a regular basis. Good luck whoever takes him. Overrated at best!

  11. Seems like the obvious question is whether he has an injury that has affected accuracy and arm strength. Quarterbacks are drafted based on potential, which bridgewater seems to have. He’s probably going to fall past the quarterback needy teams, land on a good team where he can back up for a couple years and then be successful.

  12. Pro Days aren’t a good indication of talent, but they are a good indication of preparation, which itself is a good indication of intangibles like determination, maturity, and work ethic. All the strength and skill in the world can’t make-up for a player who simply doesn’t care about playing professional football. And if Bridgewater was as unprepared for his Pro Day as the scouts and pundits are making it sound, I’d start to worry about that.

  13. Mayock is good, but he also said he would not draft Burfict. There are so many “experts” you can always find someone to support whatever view you want to write about.

  14. Would you rather take a guy who had a great pro day and looked terrible on game day tape ? Anybody can look good in shorts and no pads on their pro day,give me the player that performs in between the white lines are game days ! If Teddy drops he could be a great steal bc I think Teddy is going to be a player in the NFL

  15. When Bridgewater threw with his glove on you stated you thought he was a franchise quarterback and without it made you question everything you saw on tape. He’s going to wear his glove in the pros. Did you see how he threw at Gruden’s Camp “live?” Your conclusion of Bridgewater’s potential really doesn’t tell me anything.

  16. Does Mayock realize that that those tapes he watched were of live games? He talks as if Bridgewater’s career was scripted like a sitcom and he got in-game re-takes.

    Don’t get me wrong, his bad pro-day is absolutely worth taking note of, but to act as if watching it live allows him to quantify Teddy’s value as a pro more than ACTUAL FOOTBALL GAMES is so ludicrous IMO.

  17. Reasoning like this is why you’re just a “Draft analyst” and not an actual GM. What kind of logic is “He’s amazing on tape but was shaky during a workout”? I guess he’s right though, I’d much rather take a workout warrior like Jamarcus Russell.

  18. Still think he’ll develop into the best QB in the draft. His intangibles and leadership are way to much to overlook. Plus, he single handedly put on a show in the sugar bowl, against a defense with NFL potential across the board

  19. What a QB does on the field is 100% more meaningful than what he does during a workout in sweats. Duh. If he slides a smart team like the Packers or Patriots would draft him strictly based off of value. A dumb team like the Vikings will pass on him like they did twice with Aaron Rodgers. News flash – you need a QB to win in the NFL

  20. Well Mayock maybe that’s why you aren’t a gm. Or a scout for that matter. You and these ‘draft gurus’ are just a bunch of talking heads. You have NO clue who will be and who won’t be successful in the NFL. You ‘experts’ said leaf was better than manning, that Tom Brady had a weak arm and wouldn’t last in kid pros. The list goes on. Who knows if bridgewater will be good.

  21. Bridgewater can take comfort in that a sucky team in desperate need 0f a starting QB won’t take him.

    He’ll likely get a chance to learn and develop a couple years on a winning team with an established QB.

  22. I think that all of these quarterbacks came out too soon. That is, they wont be ready to play right away. Just hope that they are selected by teams who are patient enough to develop their skills.

  23. “If I was a GM in the NFL, I would not take him in the first round of the draft,”
    well we can say with 100% certainty that you’ll never be an NFL GM so your point is worthless. i will say this, theres no qb in this years draft i would take in the first 2 rounds.

  24. I’m rooting for Bridgewater more than any other player in this class. Seeing Mayock and all the draft “experts” try to backtrack on what they said after he succeeds will be nice to see.

    The pre-draft process is a joke. What happened on Saturdays is far, far more important. Bridgewater played very well in actual games. Hopefully he uses this nonsense as motivation, just like some other guys that the “experts” doubted. Namely guys like Brady, Brees, and Rodgers.

  25. Noodle armed BUSTwater will be at best the next Jason Campbell. I wouldn’t draft him until round 5…..

  26. If the general consensus is that Bridgewater will drop to the end of the 1st round, then I hope the Vikings are able to trade back from #8 to mid to late teens and select Bridgewater there.

    I genuinely believe this guy could help the Vikings improve considerably!

  27. Saw him play in Tampa this year against a horrible USF team. He lit it up pretty good but what really jumped out to me was how tough this guy was. In the first half Teddy got blasted 4-5 times and didn’t even flinch. I was impressed.

  28. Mayock is a joke. His head grows daily. Wouldn’t know talent if it stepped on him. He’s a joke, Kiper and the others are a joke……Don’t listen.

  29. Sorry Teddy, you are no longer a 1st round pick because Mayock watched your game tapes instead of attending the games in person. Tough break.

  30. Mayock is a joke. Wasn’t he the one who had Blane Gabbert ahead of Cam Newton. In fact if memory serves me right he had Cam in the 2nd round.

  31. Houston takes Manziel, Vikings may take Bortles if they don’t then Cleveland will take Bortles at pick 26,Mayock confirms what I thought of Bridgwater he goes at pick 33 to 40

  32. What exactly makes Mayock an expert? This sounds like the same things that were said about Tom Brady.

  33. Unlike the ESPN talking heads Mayock has been offered FO and scout positions. Mayock actually watches tape and knows what he is talking about.

    But what Mayock is talking about many scouts have recently talked about is also on tape. Bridgewater’s problem is arm. He throws the ball terrible. He is a tough kid, who works hard, played in a pro offense, seems to understand defenses, knows how to call protections and make changes. But he throws a terrible ball. he can complete short passes but anything down the field and his accuracy drops off.

    In other words Bridgewater is a very smart kid and is very pro-ready. He could step in today and make an impact. But his ceiling is very low because of his lack of accuracy and inability to throw the ball down the field.

  34. Bridgewater wasn’t considered a top draft choice by the teams at all, but by draftniks like Mayock( highly respect Mayock). Since more info is getting leaked from the teams themselves as we are getting closer to the draft, the draftniks are changing their mind to align with the info they are getting from the teams.

  35. BS, since Russell the national media has been dumping on black QBs at every chance, it’s getting pathetic. Bridgewater is the best QB in this draft hands down, if you can’t see that then you shouldn’t be allowed to evaluate talent or place grades on anybody.

  36. So you rathsr not take a guy that had multiple good games against live competition because he had a poor pro day, and yeah if you was a GM you would be drafting in the top 5 every season because it seems you rather have the workout warriors.

  37. “The Most Pro-Ready Quaterback” hails from Louisville. See Brohm, Brian. As a Packers fan, I pray Rick Spielman takes Teddy Bridgewater in Rd.2.

  38. If he really ends up falling to the second round, some team will get good value on him and it will probably work out for best sides. Less pressure on Bridgewater to come in and start right away, less pressure on the team. It would be better than reaching for a QB in the first round

  39. Romo and the #16 pick to the Texans for their #1 pick…Cowboys will then draft Johnny “Football” Manziel with the 1st pick! Done deal!

  40. I was surprised everyone was touting him as the top QB all season. He is just ‘okay’ and I never saw much to think otherwise.

  41. I really like Mayock and think he is a top analyst at certain positions such as o-line, defensive line and secondary. That being said his breakdown of RB and WR have been hit and miss over the years. When it comes to QBs just don’t trust it anymore after Blaine Gabbert being rated better than Newton.

    I am no scout but I watched a handful of Bridgewaters games and I come away thinking he has a below average arm. Not even Matt Leinart threw that many ducks.

  42. I hope the draft is back to where it belongs, so teams on Mother’s Day will be going all over the country to sign the ones not drafted.

  43. Listening to Mayock do color commentary he is always talking about he rates players based upon watching film of them.

    Further, I don’t recall him saying that he downgraded a player because even though he looked great on film he failed to perform up to expectations at his Pro Day.

    Maybe he’s just trying to hedge his bets. If Bridgewater doesn’t succeed, Mayock can say he was correct. If he does, Mayock can say that Bridgewater worked hard on his game to overcome the flaws that Mayock witnessed at his Pro Day.

  44. This is the same guy that was blown away by Jamarcus Russell, during his pro day.
    ————————————————————-

    Everybody was blown away by Jamarcus Russel on his pro day. The general consensus, by scouts and analysts, thought it was one of the best ever by a QB.

  45. “This is the same guy that was blown away by Jamarcus Russell, during his pro day”.————————————————————————
    But, Mayock said he wouldn’t draft Ja_Russel in the 1st rd

  46. From Mayock in Mar 2010:
    “Let me give you an example of the other side of it,” Mayock said this morning on The Dan Patrick Show. “The best Pro Day I ever saw as a quarterback was JaMarcus Russell. . . . I’ve never seen a quarterback throw the football like that in my life, but I still couldn’t take him in the first round — the guy doesn’t care about football. He doesn’t have the passion for the game, doesn’t have the work ethic, I don’t want him. But by the way, it was a pretty impressive Pro Day.”

  47. Bridgewater will fall. There are only 2 or 3 probable starters available. Bridgewater isn’t one of them.
    He’ll end up having a nice profitable career as a backup. As will most of this year’s QB crop.

  48. i think his hands are to small. I saw the videos from the pro day and he looks a lot like I do throwing an nfl ball. My hands are just a tiny bit to small. Perhaps it really is just putting the gloves on will make him look better.

    ORRRR Teddy doesn’t want to play for one of the bad teams at the top of the draft ;like the browns and raiders or Jacksonville and he bombing on purpose

  49. It would not surprise me one-bit if Teddy turns out to be the best of the QB from this draft….it’s insane how all these analyst destroyed his stock of being the first overall pick…

  50. I wouldn’t draft Manziel in the first round–i say he will bust, though guys who run around like he does can make enough plays to stay in the league for a while. Johnny football reminds me of a /slightly/ taller version of Doug Flutie, a guy who wasn’t a good NFL QB by any stretch–career rating of 76–and yet started for four or so years and played in the league for more than a decade, as backup for several years, mainly because he could run around in the backfield long enough for WRs to break coverage and then get them the ball. That’s Manziel–and that is R. Wilson. Neither will really be a genuinely good (classically good) NFL QB, but mobility causes problems for defenses and thus can keep a guy in the league for a while.

  51. I like listening to Mayock and lots of the other draftniks, because they are entertaining, and Mayock seems to be more like a scout than most, but there really isn’t much evidence that he has a clue which QBs will pan out.

    In 2011 he had Gabbert 1, Locker 2, and Mallet 4. No mention of Kaerpernick.

    That year was much like this year…there’s no Luck or RGIII that everyone points to as the top guys. Mayock missed the only “surprise” guy in Wilson…like most (Football Outsiders noted their system rated Wilson with more upside than either RGIII or Luck).

    Personally I think placing a ton of emphasis on one workout is nuts. Tiger Woods shoot 89 one day in a major – in his prime…would you place much emphasis on that?

  52. getyourownname says:
    Apr 26, 2014 9:02 AM
    Mayock is good, but he also said he would not draft Burfict. There are so many “experts” you can always find someone to support whatever view you want to write about.

    He said that about burfict because of his off field issues and how he acted at the combine I think it was. I don’t think they said that about him because of his talent. Good thing for him it looks like he’s grown up hopefully he stays mature and doesn’t slip up.

  53. It’s astonishing to me that in a football league, talent evaluators consistently undervalue how good someone is at playing football.

  54. Mayock is a solid analyst. He isn’t a fool like Merril Hoge.

    In this case he said he gave 85% of his grade for Bridgewater to the game tape. Is that really unfair?

  55. Bridgewater is not my favorite prospect, though I think he will be a decent pro. I cant help but think that his bulking up for combine and pro day season had some sort of effect on his throwing.

  56. I think Mayock has gotten too caught up in combine numbers and workouts. I think sometimes you need to go to the game tape.

  57. I’ve read people saying he didn’t play any teams with substance. Well I suppose blake bortles did? If I’m right I think they played in the same conference. If you people who are doubting him compare the stats. Last year he completed 303 of 427 passes 31 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. Johnny manziel completed 300 of 429 passes 37 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Blake bortles completed 259 out of 382 passes 29 touchdown to 9 interceptions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell who’s better look at the tape. Bridgewater reads defenses and is great against the blitz. Manziel runs under pressure and bortles is horrible, but yet people think they are better than him. Pro days mean nothing. What would they say if he had a horrible season and a great pro day? You think he would be number one? Probably not. Why down grade this kid for what he’s accomplished?

  58. From Drew Brees Pro Day…
    “Purdue’s Drew Brees, may have lost some ground. While he was solid in the shorter areas, he struggled some throwing the ball down the field”

    From Cam Newton’s Combine

    “Cam struggled with his accuracy in the throwing drills, frequently overthrowing receivers”

    Go to sleep Mayock

  59. You can’t believe a word that comes out of Mayock’s mouth! This is the same guys, along with several other so called “Analysts” that said Vontaze Burfict was undraftable! Will never make it in the NFL! The man is clueless and gets paid to be that way. I’ve obviously taken the wrong career path. 🙂

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