Former NFL scout and former NFL QB size up Teddy

The good news is the NFL draft is finally here, and that means we'll finally know where Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will land. Until then, here are two more analysts' thoughts on the Louisville quarterback. I think both have a unique perspective, because they remain connected in NFL circles.

John Middlekauff is a former NFL scout who now works as an analyst and radio host in the San Francisco area, and Chris Simms is a former NFL quarterback who is now the lead analyst for Bleacher report. They both said that the idea that Bridgewater has fallen down draft boards is inaccurate.

CHRIS SIMMS, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK, LEAD ANALYST FOR BLEACHER REPORT

On notion that Bridgewater has plummeted down draft boards:

Let's start there and just say the word plummet I think is where it's all being gone wrong. I think so many of us have this idea just because people said he's the first pick in the draft in October we can't believe he's plummeting now, when in reality, over the season and a two months, the people whose are in position to and know how to evaluate him are the ones evaluating him, and he's gonna end up going where he should go, or he's being slotted more true to where he is.

I think it's just been a bit of a media storm. Maybe the actual draft projections were put out there a little prematurely.

He's been in a pro offense, he's been on a team that won games. Everyone looks at his stats. Yes, he's a nice young man who's obviously smart and loves the game, so there are a lot of positives.

I just think after the year was over and once the real evaluators started diving into his film and coaches dove into his film, he's of course being picked apart a little more.

On NFL personnel concerns:

A lot of their concerns are the same as my concerns. You know, we're talking about somebody who was talked about as a top-10 pick, so you're gonna be held to a higher standard when you're held along those lines.

That's Luck, Stafford, Manning, Aikman. That's surefire can't-miss prospects, where I think Bridgewater, not only his size but his arm strength, even quality of his ball, I think people look at 'Oh yeah, it was a completion on the sideline for seven yards.' Well, if he threw it with a little more power and a little more accuracy, it might have been a 25-yard gain.

Decision-making is good for the most part, but I don't think it's off the charts. I certainly could go through games where I think he's a little slow in the decision-making process or makes bad decisions altogether.

I know people say 'How can you wipe away three years of tape with a pro day?' I'm not wiping away three years of tape with the pro day. A lot of people had concerns about his throwing ability before the pro day.

It's the first time guys get to see a quarterback actually throw in person and it's the quarterback's controlled environment, his time to shine. And he did a lot less than shine. Yeah, that's gonna concern coaches and GMs and personnel people.

On where he might be drafted

That's the million-dollar question. I can't tell you that. I just, through my friends in NFL coaching and the personnel people alike, I don't know anybody that has a first-round grade on Teddy Bridgewater, and I know even a few that have less than a second-round grade on him.

It'll be interesting. Does one team love him? You never know.

But to me, I don't think he's a first-round talent at quarterback, and that's not to say I don't like him or think he can't be successful in the NFL. I just think you're held to a higher standard.

Advice for Teddy

I would say 'Hey, this is your first test of your NFL career. Who cares what everyone else says? At the end of the day it doesn't matter anyways. You're still gonna get to camp. You're gonna get a chance to prove yourself to your new coaches and teammates and show them what you've got. So all that talk about where you'll get drafted? In the long run, it doesn't really matter.

FORMER NFL SCOUT JOHN MIDDLEKAUFF

On Teddy

He's a good character kid. All that type of stuff is positive. It's more his ability.

I just don't know if in NFL circles he was ever a can't-miss. I guess a can't-miss quarterback now is like a top three or four. I don't know if he was ever thought of like that.

I talked to people during the year who had him in the late-first, early second round. Opinions kind of varied and then I think you get really nit-picky with the top quarterbacks. That's kind of the way it is.

On Pro Day

I just think he was a mid-to-late first-round prospect and then obviously the pro day for a quarterback is a pretty big deal. They want to see your arm, how live it is, and that didn't go well.

Some teams just aren't gonna take a quarterback in the first couple rounds. I talk to a lot of guys who don't necessarily like him that much. It easy to say that when you're not gonna take him. I'm not saying it's negative, it's not a knock on him. I'm just saying don't be shocked when he goes in the second round.

On teams 'smoke-screening'

There's this huge kind of outlying narrative that it's a smokescreen. A lot of people I talk to, it's genuine, like, he's genuinely not going in the first round. I just think a lot of the media people made [the idea that he's a top-10 pick] happen.

If he goes in the second round, he's still gonna be a millionaire and will still have a chance to start for an NFL team. It's not like he's gonna be in the CFL. If he can play, who cares if he goes in the third round? I think he might get into a better situation this way.