Final Rookie Report Cards: The Quarterbacks

Throughout the season, the Rookie Report Card has covered some of the biggest rookies and not only looked at their performance to date – but also their long term upside. Now that the regular season has wrapped up and fantasy owners are looking towards the future, we have an opportunity to take one last look at the 2014 season and assess the rookies. A final report card if you will.

We covered 33 rookies throughout the season, including five quarterbacks. Let’s put a bow on the season by taking one more look at those signal callers’ first shot under center on Sundays. As well as a quick glimpse into their futures.

Blake Bortles, QB JAX
Season Stats: 280/475 (58.9%) passing, 2,908 yards, 11 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 56 carries, 419 rushing yards

It was only a month ago when I covered Bortles in the Rookie Report Card so I won’t get into too much depth here. In the final paragraph of my assessment of Jacksonville’s rookie passer I wrote this.

“The accuracy problems he has when under pressure along with his inability to get the ball out of his hands with any urgency will keep him from becoming effective enough to be considered a top-10 quarterback in fantasy. He may develop into a useful starting quarterback for the Jaguars for a handful of seasons, but if he becomes anything more than a QB2 that can be used in a good matchup for dynasty owners, I’d be very surprised.”

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Obviously, Bortles didn’t have the opportunity over the last few weeks of the regular season to change my opinion much. The one thing worth mentioning however is with the youthful weapons around him like Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee and even Allen Hurns – Bortles could have a chance with some improvement in the areas I mentioned above to take a step forward and become fantasy relevant in deep or two quarterback leagues.

Overall, I still think Bortles’ long term potential maxes out as a very low-end QB1 even with Robinson and Lee both making strides to becoming top-25 receivers. If you’re counting on him being the future of your dynasty squad under center, you should temper your expectations.

Johnny Manziel, QB CLE
Season Stats: 18 of 35 (51.4%) passing, 175 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, nine carries, 29 rushing yards, one touchdown

A week after writing about Bortles, I took a few shots at Manziel in the week 15 version of the Rookie Report Card. That was right after he completed 10 of 18 passes for just 80 yards and tossed two horrible interceptions against the Bengals. A week later he completed just three of eight passes for 32 yards against the Panthers before exiting in the second quarter with a hamstring injury.

Even with his horrible play on the field, perhaps the most troubling part about Johnny Football’s rookie season may have come just before the Browns’ final game of the season when after partying with some of his teammates, he didn’t show up for treatment on his injury and was fined by the team.

Needless to say, Manziel’s rookie season didn’t go very well. On the field he looked unprepared and the weaknesses in his game such as his unwillingness to set his feet to throw and constant inclination to look down at the pass rush instead of finding receivers downfield were highlighted nearly every time he dropped back as a rookie. On top of that, his maturity off the field became a distraction to the Browns and brought up questions about his ability to stay focused and prepare like a pro.

Because Manziel was drafted so high and entered the league with so much fanfare, he’ll no doubt be given another opportunity in training camp next year with the Browns. But like Bortles, expectations should be very limited going into his sophomore campaign.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB MIN
Season Stats: 259/402 (64.4%) passing, 2,919 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 47 carries, 209 yards, one touchdown

Finally, a quarterback I can get behind as a future QB1.

I haven’t had the chance to write about Bridgewater since I covered him in the week four Rookie Report Card. Since that time, I’ve seen every snap he’s take from center and I’m convinced. Teddy Bridgewater is the real deal.

The most impressive part about Teddy’s game is his feet. Although he’s very capable of tucking the ball and hurting a defense with his legs, he primarily moves out of the pocket to avoid the rush and buy time for a receiver to break from coverage. Then when he locks on to his target, he quickly sets his feet and delivers an accurate pass no matter if he’s throwing a timing pattern on a three step drop or if he’s scrambling outside the pocket.

Bridgewater also showed massive improvement as he gained experience towards the end of the season. In the Vikings’ final six games he threw 10 touchdowns to just six interceptions and in the final four weeks, he completed 86 of 119 passes (72.2%) for 1,092 yards (9.18 yards per attempt). Those numbers could have been even more impressive if Greg Jennings could hold onto a 35-yard touchdown against the Bears in week 17 and Matt Asiata could hold onto catchable passes and keep them from being intercepted.

Of the rookie passers, Bridgewater has the highest ceiling. Although he doesn’t have the strongest arm, he has all the other things you look for in a franchise quarterback. His accuracy is impressive, his athleticism is above average and he’s as cool as the other side of the pillow (R.I.P. Stuart Scott) under pressure – particularly at the end of the game when his team needs him most.

Anybody that owns Bridgewater as a developmental quarterback should keep a close eye on Minnesota throughout the offseason. The Vikings are in need of a playmaker at tailback which could help him out tremendously and another weapon at receiver to go along with Jennings and Charles Johnson would help Teddy’s development in a big way in year two. Kyle Rudolph entering 2015 at full health will also benefit Bridgewater exponentially.

More than anything else though, Bridgewater needs another offseason with offensive coordinator Norv Turner and quarterback coach Scott Turner. As long as both are back with the team and the Vikings improve the talent on their offense, the sky is the limit for Teddy. He has a chance to be a low-end QB1 as early as next year and has the potential to become a top-five option at the position with consistent coaching and an improved offensive line and arsenal around him.

Darek Carr, QB OAK
Season Stats: 348/599 (58.1%) passing, 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 30 carries, 87 yards

Carr is another young quarterback I have high hopes for. In fact, I compared him to one of the best quarterbacks in history, Brett Favre, when I wrote about him in the week six edition of the Rookie Report Card.

“Much like Favre was throughout his career, Carr has a rocket arm, great short to intermediate accuracy and very good feet both inside and outside the pocket. He’s also incredibly competitive, can throw on the run and has a gunslinger’s mentality.”

Despite possessing everything I like to see in a future star at the position, I had to lower my lofty expectations of Carr when he was drafted by the Raiders early in the second round of the draft. All things told though, I’m pleasantly surprised with Carr’s numbers as a rookie. He led rookie quarterbacks with 3,270 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes and perhaps most importantly considering the lack of protection, 16 starts under center.

As a rookie, Carr proved he’s very tough and that he can play well despite being knocked around on a regular basis and having next to no talent around him. At this point however, it’s difficult to be too optimistic about his potential for next season without knowing what coaching staff will be in Oakland.

A coaching change before his second season isn’t good for any rookie quarterback so expectations should be tempered a bit for Carr. But if Oakland can make a good decision for the first time in years when choosing their next head coach and the new regime is willing to take him on as if they drafted him, Carr has a fighting chance to become a useful fantasy quarterback.

As long as he’s given the time to develop in the new offensive system that is sure to be in Oakland in 2015 and the Raiders bring in some talent around him, Carr has the potential to one day become a QB1 for fantasy purposes. If he has a short leash and the new coaching staff destroys his confidence though, he could prove to be just another quarterback with massive potential that couldn’t realize it due to never having any consistency in the front office or on the sideline.

Zach Mettenberger, QB TEN
Season Stats: 107/179 (59.8%) passing, 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions

Mettenberger was my favorite quarterback coming into last year’s draft and although Bridgewater has been impressive and Carr has all the tools I like in a young passer, I still like Mettenberger just as much as I did back then.

Like he did while he was at LSU, Mettenberger displayed a rocket arm and excellent command of the pocket in his rookie season in Tennessee. He made strong throws down the field as well as underneath and always stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush rather than retreating backwards like so many rookies do. Also showing the ability to forget his mistakes, Mettenberger regularly made strong throws without hesitation after turning the ball over or taking a sack which is impressive for a young signal caller.

The only major knock on Mettenberger coming out of college was his incredibly long release. Many including myself feared that his drawn out throwing motion would give professional pass rushers time to get to him or defensive backs enough time to close on an open receiver and that happened on more than one occasion this year. Word out of Tennessee is that the Titans’ coaching staff has no intention of working on Mettenberger’s mechanics, so his slow release is just as much of a concern as it was a year ago going into his second season.

Despite having his season cut short due to a shoulder injury, Mettenberger showed enough in his seven games of action to be considered the starter going into 2015. The Titans have the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and could consider a quarterback there, but have many needs including along the offensive line as well as throughout the defense.

As long as Tennessee holds off on drafting another passer high in the draft, I fully expect Mettenberger to run with the starting job and impress in his second season. If playmakers like Justin Hunter and Kendall Wright (and/or a rookie) can step up and the front office adds some help in protection, he could take a big step as a sophomore.

Another rookie worth mentioning is Jimmy Garoppolo, who got very limited playing time but played well. He completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4%) for 182 yards and a touchdown while not turning the ball over. Because he saw the field so little, he receives an incomplete grade as a rookie. But he’s certainly worth holding onto as a developmental quarterback in leagues with the roster space to do so.

Check back next week as I’ll give final grades to most of the rookie running backs with the wide receivers and tight ends coming later in the NFL playoffs.

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Dan Meylor

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Dan is a jack of all trades but master of none and specializes in salary cap and contract leagues.He has far too many hobbies (including writing the article you just read), is a die-hard Packers fan and can't wait to introduce his young sons to fantasy football.

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