UCF junior quarterback Blake Bortles received a first-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday night.
The newspaper said its information came from a source with direct knowledge of the grade. Phil Savage, the executive director of the Reese's Senior bowl, tweeted Wednesday night that he had been told Bortles received a second-round grade from the advisory board.
The Sentinel report also said Bortles (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), who guided the Knights to a stunning upset of Baylor in Wednesday night's Fiesta Bowl by accounting for four TDs, met as scheduled with Knights coach George O'Leary on Friday to go over the evaluation.
Bortles, who grew up about 10 miles from UCF's Orlando campus, is expected to make his decision on whether he will turn pro in the next few days. He has excellent size, good mobility, a solid arm and a big upside.
Bortles skyrocketed up draft boards this season, his second as the full-time starter. He threw for 3,581 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions and completed 67.8 percent of his passes. He was named first-team All-AAC by league coaches over Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.