NFL Draft rumors: Jaguars ‘really like’ Eastern Illinois QB Jimmy Garoppolo
By Mike Dyce
The consensus top three quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL draft are Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles and Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, in no particular order. With the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars could certainly have one of those three if they wanted to draft at that position but according to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, they’re eying a different quarterback — Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo.
“Jacksonville really likes Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois, and he’d likely be there high in the second round when the Jags pick again, at 39,” King writes.
The Jaguars must not be overly impressed with those three quarterbacks, or they view it as a potential Blaine Gabbert situation again and view taking Garoppolo as a lower risk pick with nearly the same amount of upside and potential. The Jaguars aren’t the only one thinking this way and King writes that the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders are considering doing the same thing because “they’re not in love with any of the quarterbacks.”