Teddy Bridgewater's fall from potential No. 1 overall pick to possibly dropping out of the first round can seemingly be traced back to one bad day -- March 17, when his "average at best" pro day workout left several observers underwhelmed.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik, who now serves as an analyst for ESPN, says he would trace it back even further. Appearing on ESPN's "NFL Insiders," Dominik pointed to Bridgewater's tape at Louisville and said he began questioning Bridgewater's status as a potential franchise quarterback last year.
"There were things you saw on tape when you watched him," said Dominik, who was Bucs GM from 2009-13. "Something that scouts internally, we talked about it in Tampa with Teddy Bridgewater last year. Is he really the premiere quarterback? I like the young man, I think he's a quality individual, he's got character and leadership and those things. But this is a quarterback, and you're judged by what quarterback you draft, and I think Teddy Bridgewater might not have all the pieces you're looking for."
Dominik said Bridgewater's lack of size is a particular concern. Bridgewater was measured at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, at the NFL Scouting Combine, and several analysts wonder if he is durable enough to hold up in the NFL.
Dominik's remarks echoed what former Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage expressed about Bridgewater earlier this week.
"I think the media has Teddy Bridgewater in the top 10, but around league circles he's more like a late first, early second-round pick," Savage said Thursday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Against the grain, NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks have been holding firm in their evaluations of Bridgewater. Both have him as their No. 1-rated quarterback in the draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the No. 3 overall pick, had enough interest in Bridgewater to schedule a second pre-draft visit with him Saturday, although NFL Media analyst Charles Davis suggests the Jaguars should get creative and target him with a trade up later in the first round rather than take him at No. 3.
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