UCF quarterback Blake Bortles has removed some of the intrigue surrounding his time at the NFL Scouting Combine.
No one in Bortles' camp had said definitively if he would throw at the combine, but he confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that he will throw. He had seemed to remove any doubt in a tweet Tuesday afternoon.
Bortles is one of the top three quarterbacks available in the draft; another is Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, and he already has announced he won't throw at the combine.
One reason given by quarterbacks who don't throw at the combine is that they are not used to the receivers. Former NFL general manager Charlie Casserly said recently on NFL Network's "NFL AM" that that is a cop-out.
"You've got to give scouts and coaches and general managers a little credit for a little intelligence, don't you?" he said. "We know you're not throwing to your receivers. What you want to see in a quarterback is see him throw live. See the arm strength, quickness and release."
Bortles should impress onlookers in all three of those categories at the combine. He also should impress in his interview sessions and with his overall athleticism, especially for a guy who is 6-foot-4 and 230 or so pounds.
NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt has said Bortles is among the players with the most to prove at the combine. "I always worry a little about guys who burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere," Brandt said.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
