Jaguars make Blake Bortles 1st quarterback off the board with No. 3 pick
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It didn't take long for the draft to give its first surprise.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterback Blake Bortles with the third overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday, making him the first quarterback selected, ahead of Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater.
The 2013 AAC Offensive Player of the Year, Bortles is considered by some to have the highest upside of any quarterback prospect in this year's draft class. At six-foot-five and 232 pounds, he certainly looks the part of a franchise passer. Bortles drew comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck during the draft process - high praise, indeed.
Bortles was excellent as the UCF Knights' starting quarterback in 2012 and 2013, throwing 25 touchdowns each season and only seven and nine interceptions, respectively. In the final game of his college career, he led the Knights to a 52-42 upset victory over Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Bortles went 20-of-31 for 301 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the game, adding 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
With the Jaguars, Bortles will inherit an offense that features Cecil Shorts, the newly signed Toby Gerhart and the suspended Justin Blackmon. It will be up to head coach Gus Bradley to decided whether Bortles will start right away, or if he will start behind last season's starter Chad Hanne.
If Bortles continues to hone his craft and develop as a passer, the sky is the limit for what he can do in the NFL.