(N.B. that when a Reddit post/comment has been edited more than a few minutes after it was first written, an asterisk (*) appears next to the time of writing. Since there is no such asterisk to the right of where it currently says "4 months ago," that is proof I never edited this comment.)
"Predictions!
"- Clowney will underperform. I won't say 'bust', since there's a pretty good chance he'll be pretty good, but he's NOT the best DE prospect in a decade (or even in recent memory). He's gotten incredibly hyped-up, and he's simply not that good. He won't get 10 sacks in (any individual one of) his first three years."
Okay, so Clowney got injured. But so far he IS underperforming. He wasn't exactly great in the one game he's played so far, either.
"- Manziel will bust. Bust bust bust. Great college line + 'unconventional' style of play + emotional immaturity + poor decision making + INCREDIBLY douchey face (how does no one talk about this??) = bust. PLEASE quote me on this. Manziel is going to BUST."
Nailed this one. Just absolutely nailed it. Nothing more needs to be said.
"- Watkins isn't going to be anything special. Okay, so I'm low on everyone in this draft. Sue me."
So far, he's had one great game and two mediocre ones. I'll wait to determine how this prediction pans out, but I'm confident that I was right in my assessment.
"- Jake Matthews is the best LT prospect in the draft. He's going to be really damn good, and he'll outperform Robinson at the next level."
So far, neither of them has seen any playing time. We'll see what happens later this year.
"- Mack is pretty good. Not convinced he'll be elite, but he's my top defensive prospect. Look for him to outperform Clowney across the board."
He's been playing excellently so far this season. I'm happy with this prediction.
"- Bortles is actually pretty good. Top QB available. Money-where-my-mouth-is time: He will make a Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, or I will have sex with a beautiful woman."
This one's hard to assess right now. Bortles played in the second half of the Jax-at-Indy game, and he was good-but-not-great (i.e. Andrew Luck-ian). Now let me say a BUNCH of things in his defense. First of all, it was his first ever NFL game and he was thrown in at halftime into another guy's system. That's hard for any QB. Second, his team was already down 30-0 when he took over, and to his credit he put 17 points on the board--not enough for a comeback, especially when the Jags gave up another 14 in the second half, and yes, part of it is attributable to garbage time, but at least he did SOMETHING. Third, you may be critical of Bortles for his interceptions, but when your team is down by four scores, you SHOULD be taking risks and attempting hard throws, because that's the only way you're ever going to give your team a chance. I'll wait to see what Bortles does as the starter (which the Jags just declared him to be) before I make a judgement here, but I'm still optimistic.
Actual analysis of what little pro tape I've seen of Bortles: Love his arm. Love his running (which never looks panicked, but always looks intelligent and necessary). Love his mobility in the pocket and his ability to stay cool under pressure. (On one memorable play, at around 7:50 to play in the 3rd (watch any highlights and you'll see it), he rolls out to his left, runs into two Colts pass-rushers, successfully TURNS AROUND and runs back right (you NEVER see this), keeps his eyes downfield (this is an INCREDIBLY good thing), and makes a nice throw to his open man downfield. He looked positively Wilson-esque.) His first interception, deep down the left side, was EXACTLY the kind of play you want to see your QB attempt when your team's down four scores. It was high-risk, but high-reward; he gave his guy a shot; and even though it was a turnover, it happened on 2nd and 10, and it gave the Colts the ball at the 36 yard line. Essentially, it was a 38-yard-punt on second and long. That's NOT that bad a play. (If, say, Bortles had just thrown the ball out of bounds, odds are the Jags wouldn't have gotten much on 3rd and 10 and would have ended up punting it, giving the Colts the ball maybe a little further downfield, but giving the Jags no chance of a Big Play that could get them back into the game.) His second Int was just a bad decision, but when you're trying to come back from that big a deficit, you pretty much take whatever shots you can.
As for the other QBs he's competing with: he's obviously dominating Manziel, and with the possible exception of Garoppolo (who we won't be able to judge for a few years), that means Bortles is only competing with Bridgewater and Carr. Bridgewater looked solid when he played, and we'll see how he performs as a starter. Carr's been starting for a few games and has looked mostly mediocre, but we'll see what he can do as the season progresses. I'm not making a call about this prediction yet, but I think I'm right.
I want to point out, in case you've forgotten, that back in May, every single one of these predictions was incredibly controversial. Note the response to me (which has a higher vote total than my original comment, which--although you can't see it now--was heavily downvoted). Predicting things is fun.
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