Shanahan, Gannon Discuss Sam Bradford's Future

Originally Published: Feb 26, 2010 9:11 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS – With several media outlets reporting that the St. Louis Rams are considering selecting Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, the OU quarterback has suddenly become a popular topic at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Several draft experts predicted that Bradford would have been the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, but he elected to return to the Sooners for another shot at a BCS Championship. He suffered two separate shoulder injuries and missed the majority of his junior season before announcing his plans to enter the draft.

“Where is he right now? Is he going to come back off of his injury? I think that’ll be answered here in the next couple weeks,” said Mike Shanahan, who became the new head coach of the Washington Redskins this offseason.

Washington is considered a likely destination for Bradford if he is not taken with the No. 1 overall pick. The Redskins are drafting fourth and have struggled to gain consistent play from current starting quarterback Jason Campbell.

“If you want to take a look at Sam Bradford, all you have to do is look at the film; how many plays he’s played in the last couple years and you come up with your opinion,” Shanahan said. “He’s played enough where you should have a strong opinion on what you think of Sam Bradford.”

It was originally assumed that Bradford’s draft stock would fall because of injury concerns. However, teams have reportedly become more wary of spending top-pick money on defensive tackles like Ndomukong Suh or Bradford’s teammate Gerald McCoy.

Teams tend to be much more willing to part with big money for the potential of finding their next franchise quarterback, and Bradford has several teams talking.

“I’m impressed with Sam Bradford,” said former NFL quarterback and current CBS Sports analyst Rich Gannon. “I didn’t realize he was as big as he is. He’s a tall guy, I think he’s going to put weight on and he’s going to be stronger.”

Bradford is only part of a group of elite quarterbacks who are fighting injuries during the offseason. Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen is working through a broken toe, and Texas’ Colt McCoy suffered a shoulder injury similar to Bradford’s during the national championship game.

“All of these top quarterbacks have some issues right now with their health; they’re working through it,” Gannon said.

The injuries to Bradford, Clausen and McCoy – considered to be the top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft – will prevent all of them from throwing at the NFL Combine.

Bradford will take part in his own Pro Day for scouts in March at OU, which Gannon said could allow him to perform better.

“Now you can do it back on campus; you have your own receivers, your coach is there to script the practice, and that’s really what these agents are thinking,” Gannon said. “The other thing to keep in mind is these agents are very involved in this process; they want to make sure these players show well and they want to do it in a controlled environment.”

Bradford’s Pro Day will likely have a major influence on which team drafts him. If he shows no signs of shoulder soreness and throws crisp passes, he could become the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick. If he struggles and causes general managers to be wary of his injury problems, his draft stock could plummet.