Oakland Raiders: Why Derek Carr is better than Bortles

Tale of the Tape

In honor of the passing of the Greatest Ever Mohammad Ali, we will start the comparison with a good ol’ fashioned “tale of the tape” of how the two match up physically. In this competition, Bortles may seem to have the edge with his prototypical size, but a deeper look may surprise you.

At the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, both Bortles and Carr went through the normal battery of measurements and physical tests, and stack up as follows:

Carr:

Height/Weight: 6’2″/214 lbs

Hand Size: 9 1/8″

40-yard dash time: 4.69 sec

Vertical jump: 34.5″

Broad jump: 110″

20-yard shuttle time: 4.20 sec

Bortles:

Height/Weight: 6’5″/232 lbs

Hand size: 9 3/8″

40-yard dash time: 4.92 sec

Vertical jump: 32.5″

Broad jump: 115″

20-yard shuttle time: 4.21 sec

Bortles has the edge in height and weight and hand size, three very important measurables for quarterbacks. He fits the traditional mold of the big NFL pocket passer, a mold still very much in favor in the modern NFL: think of Joe Flacco, Ben Roethelisburger, and Philip Rivers. But Carr, at 6’2″, is bigger than current big-name NFL starters Russell Wilson and Drew Brees, and is the same height as Aaron Rodgers. Among other quarterbacks who played the position at 6’2″: Brett Favre, Steve Young, and Joe Montana.

Like the latter three, and Rodgers, and many other “smaller” NFL quarterbacks, Carr is  faster and more athletic than Blake Bortles and his ilk, and the more mobile, athletic quarterback has trended up in the NFL of late, and for good reason. Teams in the salary cap era can’t necessarily afford to stock the cupboard full of offensive linemen, and modern offenses don’t call for 7-man protection schemes very often. At the same time, the league is now full of talented pass rushers, players who are often the best athletes on the field, and statuesque big quarterbacks can be a liability. Ask the Denver Broncos, who last year watched the 6’7″ Brock Osweiler get driven into their stadium turf five times by Khalil Mack.

Carr better suits the demands of the modern NFL by combining top-flight passing ability (more on that later) with mobility and athleticism that allows him to use his feet to extend plays, avoid the rush, and allow routes to develop before he delivers an accurate strike. While Bortles may be the old prototype, Carr is physically built exactly like some of the greatest to ever play the position, and his physical tools will allow him to succeed in the modern game.