Which quarterback got the Senior Bowl 'Bump'?

In an effort to wrap up the 2014 edition of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Executive Director Phil Savage has put together his “official” review of this year’s draft class on a position-by-position basis. With 20 years of National Football League experience as a coach, scout, personnel director and general manager, his comments will communicate a professional feel to the discussion of these prospects and their quest to make an impact in the NFL.

 SUMMARY                                                                        

31 of 32 NFL organizations selected at least one Reese's Senior Bowl prospect this year with a total of 84 being chosen over the draft weekend. Here is a breakdown of each round and the number of prospects selected:           

ROUND	SELECTIONS	TOTAL	PERCENTAGE
1	7	7 of 32	22%
2	11	18 of 64	28%
3	19	37 of 100	37%
4	18	55 of 140	39%
5	13	69 of 175	39%
6	9	77 of 215	36%
7	7	84 of 256	33%

 

 Highest Selection                                                            

The Oakland Raiders chose Fresno State’s Derek Carr in the 2nd round with the 35th overall pick. Derek has a fluid motion, under-rated athletic ability and the right attitude to work behind Matt Schaub as a backup before possibly being a long-term answer at the position by 2015. 

 Senior Bowl Bump                                                          

No prospect benefitted more from being in Mobile than Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo who was picked by the New England Patriots in the 2nd round at #62 overall. He was bigger in stature and showed a stronger arm than expected, which propelled him up draft boards across the league.

 Immediate Help                                                              

Unless there is a significant injury to a veteran, no Reese’s Senior Bowl QB’s are expected to play as rookies.

 Best Value                                                                       

Georgia’s Aaron Murray participated in meetings and interviews during the Senior Bowl week and won many organizations over with his personality and intangibles. The Kansas City Chiefs called his name in the 5th round (#163 overall) and, coming off an ACL injury, will have time to develop behind Alex Smith and under the guidance of head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Doug Pederson.

 Spotlight                                                                         

Maybe the most polarizing QB in the entire draft, NFL evaluators seemed “split” on Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas. At 6’6/248 and running 4.61 at the Combine, he has all the physical tools, so it will be interesting to see if head coach Bruce Arians and Co. can speed up his internal clock and fix his accuracy issues.

 Others of Note                                                                 

Chicago selected San Jose State’s David Fales in the 6th round where he will work with head coach Marc Trestman, while Miami’s Stephen Morris was reunited with his former college coordinator Jed Fisch when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent.