Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater may have had an underwhelming pro day, but that doesn't temper the enthusiasm one former NFL coach has for the quarterback.
ESPN analyst Jon Gruden recently spent time with Bridgewater for his "Gruden QB Camp" series and came away impressed with Bridgewater's acumen.
He said Bridgewater's "football IQ is high." Asked how he would measure Bridgewater among the prospects he has worked with, Gruden said, "Based on the offense that he ran at Louisville, he ranks very high. He'd be in the top three or four."
Gruden said Bridgewater had been "well-trained" at Louisville and that "his football IQ is his strength."
"He can recognize and communicate a lot of different styles of offense," Gruden said. "It's very impressive."
Gruden said Bridgewater oversaw a "sophisticated running game" at Louisville, which operated a version of the West Coast offense. Gruden also said Bridgewater "recognizes all the concepts and terminology" that Bill Walsh used, "so I'm really impressed with that."
Gruden noted that Bridgewater left Louisville after his junior season and "is not a finished product." He also said he thought Bridgewater would "continue to get stronger," which is important because of Bridgewater's lack of bulk -- he is 6-foot-2 and his weight has fluctuated between 196 and 214 pounds in the past few months -- is an issue for some scouts.
As for Bridgewater's relatively lackluster pro day, Gruden said he can overcome that. "Pro days matter less than private workouts," Gruden said.
Bridgewater touted his own toughness in another "Gruden QB Camp" segment.
Bridgewater is considered among the top three quarterback prospects in the draft and is in play to be taken No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans. If he winds up in Houston, he would have the opportunity to work with another cerebral quarterback -- Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard grad, was signed by the Texans as a free agent. Bridgewater met with the Texans after his pro day workout and with the Minnesota Vikings before the workout.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
