Six NFL head coaches are on hand to witness Teddy Bridgewater's pro day workout. Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans, Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dennis Allen of the Oakland Raiders, Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings and Ken Whisenhunt of the Tennessee Titans were at the Louisville football complex to watch the potential No. 1 overall pick.
Several NFL general managers were also in attendance -- including Rick Spielman of the Vikings, John Idzik of the New York Jets, Ruston Webster of the Titans and Ryan Grigson of the Indianapolis Colts. In all, more than 100 people jammed the complex to watch the workouts, which will also feature potential first-round safety Calvin Pryor.
On the eve of his highly anticipated pro day workout, Bridgewater spent time with an NFL team he likely hopes will have to trade up for a chance to draft him.
Representatives from the Vikings held a private meeting Sunday afternoon with Bridgewater, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Minnesota appears to be doing its due diligence on this year's quarterback prospects even though it re-signed QB Matt Cassel earlier this month and still has Christian Ponder on the roster. The Vikingssent three officials to Alabama's pro day last week, fueling speculation that they're interested in drafting former Alabama QB AJ McCarron.
Bridgewater is considered the most NFL-ready of this year's quarterback prospects and could potentially be the No. 1 overall pick to the Texans. If Houston passes on him, he might not fall far. NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock lists Bridgewater No. 1 in his positional rankings, and NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees an excellent fit for the former Louisville signal-caller at No. 3, where the Jaguars are slated to draft. The Browns (No. 4) and Raiders (No. 5) have a need at quarterback, as well, so it would be a surprise to see Bridgewater still on the board by the time the eighth pick is made.
That said, the Vikings might not be wasting their time by doing their homework on Bridgewater. John Middlekauf, a former NFL scout, told College Football 24/7 last week that he had yet to talk to a scout that believed Bridgewater was a top-five pick and went a step further, tweeting that he didn't think Bridgewater is worthy of a top-10 pick.
The stakes were already high for Bridgewater's pro day -- the interest in the event grew stronger after he didn't throw or run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine last month -- and, if Middlekauf is right, he'll have to put on quite a show to convince teams with a quarterback need drafting in the top five that he is the answer.
The reason he decided to wait to throw in front of NFL evaluators until his pro day is because he'll be in a better controlled environment that should be set up for him to perform well. If he can't impress on Monday, Bridgewater is going to have quite a few more skeptics.
