The fall of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on draft boards is easily one of the top storylines heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. He began the year as the near consensus top quarterback but suffered another blow Monday, when NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock pushed him further down his position rankings -- he is now in a tie for fifth with LSU's Zach Mettenberger.
How did someone rated so highly fall so fast? Most people point to his subpar pro day performance and increased talk in league circles about his frame not being quite as ideal for a signal-caller at the next level. Though Bridgewater was invited to attend the draft in New York City, he's far from a first-round lock at this point. If he does slip to the second round though, NFL Media analyst Curtis Conway believes he would wind up as the best value selection of the entire draft.
"If Teddy Bridgewater ends up in the second round, you're talking about a bargain," Conway said on "Path to the Draft." "He will definitely be the best bargain in this draft."
Recent NFL.com mock drafts have Bridgewater going as high as eighth overall to the Minnesota Vikings. Recent trends, however, point to him falling to the Cleveland Browns and their second first-round pick (26th overall) or out of the first round entirely. It seems as though, in just a few short months, Bridgewater has gone from boom to bust without taking a snap.
Conway and fellow analyst Daniel Jeremiah aren't buying all that's being said about Bridgewater after re-watching some of his tape. In his latest draft rankings, Jeremiah keeps the Louisville quarterback as the top player at his position and the 11th-best overall player in the draft. Both believe that the team that ultimately selects Bridgewater will not only be getting a bargain but a quarterback who can help them win games early in his career as a rookie.
"We're talking about the number one quarterback in this draft before his pro day -- all of a sudden, after his pro day he's starting to decline gradually," Conway added. "When I turn that film on, this is the most pro-ready guy of all these quarterbacks."
Where Bridgewater will be taken in the draft is anybody's guess at this point given all the rumors surrounding him. It only takes one team to fall in love with him despite all that and it seems quite clear based on what a few analysts are saying that someone will end up pretty happy they selected Bridgewater on draft day.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
