UCF's Blake Bortles is Not First Round Worthy By His Own Admission

Blake Bortles was a lot of fun to watch at UCF last season, and when you look at him it is hard not to think 'NFL quarterback.' Every team in the NFL would love to have a QB that is 6'5" and 232 pounds so it is understandable why he has been talked about as a possible No. 1 pick in the draft--but he shouldn't be.

It's not because any of the other candidates are necessarily better than him. No, it's by his own admission.

From Bleacher Report

A first round pick should be the caliber of player that can step in from day one and start for the team that takes him. His game isn't going to perfect; there is going to be room for growth. He is still going to be the kind of guy that can make an impact as a rookie.

Blake Bortles, as talented as he is, is not that kind of guy and he said so himself back during his time at the Combine:

Blake Bortles said he understands he needs work. No problem taking a couple years to become an #NFL starter. #Texans
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) February 21, 2014

Who wants to wait a couple years for a first round pick--let alone the No. 1 pick--to contribute?

More and more analysts and (so called) experts are starting to move away from calling Bortles first-round worthy. In Wedneday's MMGB, Sports Illustrated's Peter King said Bortles recognized that he is the prototype NFL teams dream about and that he has the most upside of any QB in the draft, but that he just isn't ready.

NFL.com's Mike Mayock had this to say:

"I would like to play safety against Bortles because he stares everything down," Mayock said. "A lot of big-armed quarterbacks do that when they're young, and he's going to have to learn to transition from that."

Some have tried to compare Bortles to Andrew Luck, Albert Breer (NFL Network) doesn't think he is as much of an athlete or even close to as polished.

Back during the Combine former NFL scout Greg Gabriel had this to say on Bortles:

If a team drafts Bortles in the 2nd round, I have no complaints. That's where he belongs. Not high in the 1st
— Greg Gabriel (@greggabe) February 23, 2014

This is not to say that he is not a great quarterback and that he will not be a great one in the NFL. Not every first round pick does start as a rookie (think Aaron Rodgers), but when it comes to the No. 1 pick he should.

Forget the critics and bloggers--by his own admission he is not ready to be one next year. With that being the case he is a second round pick at best.

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