CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns general manager Ray Farmer is enamored with Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and will strongly consider him at No. 26, league sources have told cleveland.com.
The sources said Farmer has been infatuated with Bridgewater since last fall, and would most likely grab him at No. 26. In fact, the Browns have looked into trading up from No. 26 to land Bridgewater if they need to.
The news of Farmer's infatuation with Bridgewater comes a day after Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that the Browns will not draft Johnny Manziel. Sources have told cleveland.com that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam loves Manziel, and other sources have said Farmer likes him too. But does Farmer like Manziel enough to take him at No. 4? Apparently, he might rather have Bridgewater later in the round.
Sources have told cleveland.com that the Browns are leaning toward offensive tackle Greg Robinson at No. 4, although plenty of experts believe the Rams will take Robinson at No. 2. In that case, the Browns might look to receiver Sammy Watkins, linebacker Khalil Mack, offensive tackle Jake Matthews or try to trade out of the pick.
If they draft Bridgewater at No. 26 or earlier in the first round, they'll be getting a quarterback that some analysts such as NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, a former Browns scout, have ranked as the No. 1 quarterback on their board.
But Bridgewater, who played in a West Coast, pro-style offense at Louisville, slipped on some teams' draft board after his shaky pro day last month, one in which he threw without his trademark glove. In fact, ESPN's Jon Gruden went so far as to say that he'd take a quarterback off his board for a lackluster pro day.
"I've done a lot of individual workouts in my past as a receiver coach, as a quarterback coach, even as a head coach,'' Gruden said on a conference call last week. "If the player didn't work that well for me, I didn't move them down, I took them off our board. So if you're not having good individual workouts, if you don't have a good pro workout, that's part of the evaluation process. You're going to be moved down or potentially off some people's boards. I'd be concerned if I were any person and I didn't have good private workouts or I had a typically bad pro date.''
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock was equally harsh.
"I've never seen a top-level quarterback in the last 10 years have a bad pro day, until Teddy Bridgewater," Mayock said on air recently. "He had no accuracy, the ball came out funny, the arm strength wasn't there, and it made me question everything I saw on tape because this was live.
"I went back and watched a bunch more tape and compared him to the rest of the guys in the draft. And like it or not, I've come to a conclusion -- if I was a GM in the NFL, I would not take him in the first round of the draft.''
Undaunted by the shaky pro day -- which the Browns did not attend -- Farmer lined up a private workout with Bridgewater and brought him to Cleveland for a visit. Bridgewater felt he did better in the workout, and has urged teams to rely on the film.
"The game tape speaks volumes because I'm in live action, I'm out there making reads, going through progressions, redirection protection, signaling hot routes, getting the offense in and out of the right play," Bridgewater told ESPN last week. "Looking at those things, I think those things outweigh the pro day."
Nfldraftscout.com analyst Dane Brugler still has Bridgewater ranked as the No. 1 quarterback on his board and thinks he'd be a great fit for the Browns. In his draft guide, he writes, "his lack of prototypical build and streaky deep accuracy will scare some teams, but he displays polish and refinement and makes it look easy at times because of his ability above the neck, efficient pocket movements and natural accuracy. Bridgewater is reminiscent of a taller, slender version of Russell Wilson because of his football-focused, humble and driven attitude, along with his mobility and placement on the run – a very natural passer who has the mental aptitude and arm talent to be a long-term NFL starter.''
At an NFL Draft appearance in New York City Wednesday, Bridgewater was asked if he's concerned about a draft-day tumble.
"I'm ready for anything,'' he told the New York Post.
He also scoffed at the notion that he played at 180 pounds last season. "I was 210 last year,'' he said. "I haven't been 180 since my freshman year.''
Bridgewater, a three-year starter who finished second in the NCAA in 2013 with a 71% completion percentage and set a school record with a career mark of 68.3%, has blocked out the criticism since his pro day.
"I just pay no attention to it,'' he told NFL Network. "Keep my head down, stay focused on what I have to work on. If something is being said in a negative way about me, I use it as growth, I learn from it. If it’s something being said positive about me, I still can learn from it. I’m just on a mission to be the best player that I can be, so I keep my head down and just keep moving forward.”
Browns coach Mike Pettine complimented Bridgewater at the NFL Annual Meeting last month.
"I think he's extremely accurate,'' said Pettine. "You can tell he's a very cerebral quarterback. He understands the game very well. Understands coverages, that kind of jumps off the tape at you. To me, he seems very unfazed by things. He plays very well under pressure. He's a guy that's NFL-ready. It doesn't seem to be to big for him. He kind of has that calming presence out there. Some quarterbacks get real emotional, get real fired up and he's not that. He kind of has that quiet confidence about him.''
Other quarterbacks high on the Browns' list are Fresno State's Derek Carr, Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo and Pitt's Tom Savage. The Browns like Carr, but not well enough to draft him at No. 4, a source said, and he could be gone by No. 26. Garoppolo and Savage could be options at No. 35 or later in the draft if they don't draft Bridgewater.
Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde is also on the Browns' radar at No. 35, a source said. But depending on how the draft falls, they might also opt for a receiver or cornerback there. A dream scenario for the Browns would be Robinson at No. 4, Bridgewater at No. 26 and Hyde at No. 35.