NFL Week 4: Winners and losers

WINNER: Vikings GM Rick Spielman and Jaguars GM David Caldwell

While many people liked Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, there were more than a few folks who thought that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings could have made better picks in the first round. Some felt the Jags needed a receiver more than Bortles, while others thought it was a waste for the Vikings to trade back into the first for Bridgewater, having bought into the narrative that the Louisville product wasn’t that good.

Bortles may be a work in progress and Bridgewater might have yet to throw a touchdown pass but in two games both players have looked like excellent additions to their respective teams.

As with anything else on this list, there’s a “whole lotta ballgame left” but the early returns are strong. Bortles may be turning the ball over too much but he’s aggressive downfield in a way the Jaguars haven’t been in a long time.

When a GM picks a quarterback in the first round, his future job security could hinge on it. Spielman dodged a bullet with Christian Ponder and can’t have another miss, so this was even more critical. The Bridgewater pick was even more important for him.

We’ll see if it all looks as good at the end of the season as it does now.