From WalterFootball.com: http://walterfootball.com/college/Oklahoma_logo.gif Sam Bradford*, Oklahoma
Height: 6-4. Weight: 214.
Projected 40 Time: 4.70.
Projected Round (2010): Top 3 Pick. 1/13/09: I felt as though Sam Bradford needed a great game against Florida in the UPS-sponsored final winter practice game to surpass Matt Stafford in these rankings. Bradford went 26-of-41 for 257 yards and two touchdowns, but also tossed two picks. Because Stafford has a more powerful arm (and thus higher upside) he remains No. 1 on this list.
12/20/08: Of all the quarterbacks eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft, Sam Bradford is the guy who seems to have that special "it." The 2008 Heisman winner, Bradford commanded the best offense the nation has ever seen, throwing for 4,464 yards, 48 touchdowns and just six picks. He completed 68.3 percent of his passes with an amazing 10.1 YPA.
10/12/08: Oklahoma has a lot of work to do to get back into the national title picture, but that doesn't mean that Sam Bradford's draft stock is hurt in any way; through six games, Bradford has 2,052 yards, 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
3/26/08: Sam Bradford is going into his redshirt sophomore year, so he'll be eligible for the 2009 Draft. If he matches his 2007 numbers this upcoming year, I see no reason why he woudn't come out early. Bradford threw for 3,121 yards, 36 touchdowns and only eight picks - as a freshman. Unbelievable. Can we get a birth certificate?
----------------------------
Honors included freshman All-American from The Sporting News, Rivals and CollegeFootballNews.com, CollegeFootballNews.com's Big 12 Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention, The Sporting News Freshman of the Year, The Sporting News All-Big 12 Freshman, Academic All-Big 12 and honorable mention All-Big 12 by coaches and AP … finalist for the Manning Award as the nation's top quarterback … set NCAA freshman record for touchdown passes in a season with 36 … led the nation with passing efficiency rating of 176.53 ahead of second-place Tim Tebow, the Heisman winner … completed 22 straight passes (last 18 versus North Texas and first four against Miami), setting an OU record and falling just two shy of the NCAA mark … had another string of 21 … tied a school record with five TD passes in wins over Miami and Texas A&M … threw multiple touchdown passes in 11 of 14 games … had the No. 6 season at OU for completions, No. 5 in total offense, No. 2 for completion percentage, No. 1 for passing efficiency.
Comments:
9/7/09- Suffered a grade 2 or 3 shoulder sprain and will be out for weeks.
10/16/09- Ok vs. Texas- Solid pocket presence... stays in and delivers the ball. Will look inaccurate at times. Trys to make the right throws, try's to throw the ball in the right places, but will miss the exact target at times. Sacked and hurt. His throwing shoulder appears to be injured again. Looked like an average sack, and he didnt fall that hard. To me, with yet another injury, durability becomes a concern. If he doesnt see enough time this year due to injury, his stock may drop. If he doesn't think he will be the top QB taken or even in the top 10, I think he will return for his senior year.
-Doesn't throw a particularly tight spiral, unless he has time to step into his pass
-Played behind a freaking Berlin Wall of an offensive line. The line impressed me greatly. However, he made his line look far better then it already was. Had a great feel for pressure. kept his eyes down field, moved well to avoid the rush and buy himself time. Would stand in the pocket and take a hit.
-Had some of the fastest coverage recognition i've seen in a college player... never seemed to miss the open guy.
-Anticipated his WRs getting open at a pro level, often times would throw well before they broke free.
-Pure gunslinger. He attacked defenses relentlessly, attacked seams in zones, went after safeties all the time. Pure killer instinct.
-Fast release (not amazingly fast, but it didn't take him long to get the ball out of his hand)
-Great clock in his head, never held the ball too long, even with the amazing line blocking, he wouldn't wait for his WRs to get open, but attacked, and got the ball out of his hand (this is necessary for a pro qb, something most college QBs don't do)
-Throws mostly with his arm, has very little lower body motion in his throwing technique. He plays much taller then he is, with a very high release point for his throws. Has very little motion in his body when he throws the ball.
-Mediocre footwork. Unlike Clausen, who i could tell where he was going to throw based purely on watching his feet, Bradford's footwork is a bit sloppier. this results in some inaccuracy. Despite his great eyes, and mind, and good arm, he hurts his accuracy (and arm strength) with his footwork.
-Lives off seam routs and crossing patterns. Throws a beautiful skinny post. Throws great rolling left, rarely throws when rolling right (usually just tucks and runs) but when he does the ball lacks a tight spiral and flutters. Strange since throwing to his right while on the run is the easier pass for most QBs. either way he's pretty accurate on the run. When he throws an out (not a pass he threw much) it's very well thrown.
-Bradford runs into a problem with his own aggressiveness... like most gunslingers he is far more confident in his arm then he probably should be and will try to fit it in some pretty tight windows, compounded with his slight accuracy problems and sometimes the ball just doesn't go where he wants it. If Bradfords arm was just a little stronger, or he was on the whole more accurate i would say he was a surefire can't miss pro prospect. As it stands i wonder if his gunslinger mentality and questionable arm will help or hurt him in the pros. In the end it will probably come down to if he can eliminate some of his accuracy issues...
-He actually reminds me quite a bit of Drew Brees when Brees came out of college (only a little taller and a lot better at reading defenses)... the type of passes he preferred were Kurt Warner like... with a lot of seam routs, skinny posts and crossing routs. He worked the middle of the field relentlessly.
-His eyes and head are pro-ready... the question is "is his arm?" Either way he's the safest QB in the draft i think.
Summary: Sam Bradford is the closest thing to a franchise QB in this draft. He's able to make quick decisions, has great pocket awareness, decent arm strength, and a quick release. His ability to go through progressions, and read coverage's may ease his learning curve in the NFL. His Wonderlic result was noteworthy, at 36. Sam will need to improve upon his footwork. It can be pretty sloppy at times. Scouts may question how well he will play on a sub-par offensive line. In Norman, he played behind an outstanding line. Sam can be overly aggressive and make bad plays by trying to rely on his arm. Ingtar33 Comments, “Doesn't throw a particularly tight spiral, unless he has time to step into his pass. Had a great feel for pressure. kept his eyes down field, moved well to avoid the rush and buy himself time… Great clock in his head, never held the ball too long, even with the amazing line blocking, he wouldn't wait for his WRs to get open, but attacked, and got the ball out of his hand (this is necessary for a pro QB, something most college QBs don't do)… Would stand in the pocket and take a hit. Had some of the fastest coverage recognition I've seen in a college player... never seemed to miss the open guy. Anticipated his WRs getting open at a pro level, often times would throw well before they broke free. Pure gunslinger. He attacked defenses relentlessly, attacked seams in zones, went after safeties all the time. Pure killer instinct… Despite his great eyes, and mind, and good arm, he hurts his accuracy (and arm strength) with his footwork.” Bradford is the most sure thing at quarterback in this draft. He will be a player who needs to be groomed for sure. But in today's NFL, don't they all?
