All eyes on Sam Bradford

National Football League
Draft King Analysis

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Adam Schefter's bold prediction on WXOS (101 ESPN radio in St. Louis) last month that Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford would be the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft took almost everyone by surprise. There was no doubt about there being a huge need in St. Louis for a blue-chip QB prospect, but the talk almost across the board had been that the Rams would select much-ballyhooed Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. Suh is a freakish athlete who is one of the top defensive tackle prospects to come along in many years, but the Rams have invested a great deal on its defensive front seven in recent drafts, not making it the priority that it might be elsewhere.

UCLA's Troy Aikman was the #1 pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. (Icon SMI)

I quickly modified my draft board to reflect Bradford being in the #1 slot. Schefter isn't one to dabble in unsubstantiated rumors or conjecture, and the rare authority he spoke with (not saying "almost for sure" or "very likely" or "barring a trade") in saying that Bradford would for sure be the #1 overall pick made me suspect that he knew something from the inside. Schefter's words didn't stay in St. Louis, certainly not in the internet age, and soon after everyone from the ESPN bigwigs to newcomer draft sites seemed to have Bradford in the top spot.

That set the scene for today, where all eyes were on Bradford at the University of Oklahoma's pro day in Norman. And Bradford didn't disappoint. As Brian Murphy wrote earlier today on fftoolbox.com, Bradford was remarkably accurate, going 49-for-50 on passes (with one dropped by a receiver). Less than five months after undergoing surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder, Bradford looked comfortable and confident in his workout. Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt wrote that Bradford looked better than any QB prospect he had seen since Troy Aikman in 1989. That, to be sure, is high praise.

Bradford is slated to have a private workout for the Rams on 4/19, just three days ahead of the start of the 2010 NFL Draft. If all goes well with that (and any pre-draft negotiations), all indications are that Bradford will be the top pick in the upcoming draft. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the Rams have not yet made a final decision regarding the #1 overall pick, but it would be foolish for the team to declare any certainty on what they will do at this point.

For the other top quarterback prospect in this draft, Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, the future is a bit more uncertain. If Washington passes on him at #4, he could find himself in a Chutes and Ladders style free-fall, an unenviable spot filled in recent years by Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn. For Clausen the attention might not be as intense as it was on Rodgers or Clausen by the expected presence of Florida QB Tim Tebow at the draft. Buffalo and Jacksonville at #9 and #10 respectively are possibilities, and there is the reality looming that a team might go with Tebow ahead of Clausen.

Meanwhile, a player who could slide under the radar, and end up with a lucky team drafting in the high part of round two, is Texas QB Colt McCoy. He might be the fourth quarterback drafted in 2010, but he could also end up being a valuable and productive NFL player.

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