After the first four years of Carter Bradley’s collegiate career at Toledo, it is safe to say he was not on anyone’s radar for potentially hearing his name called during the NFL Draft.
Well, his decision to play his fifth and sixth seasons of college ball at South Alabama turned out to be the correct one. Bradley set the school record for both passing yards (3,326) and passing touchdowns (28) in his first year with the Jaguars, which helped put him on the radar of NFL scouts ahead of the 2023 college football campaign.
Bradley’s NFL bloodline — his father, Gus Bradley, is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts — combined with his quick processing ability and flashes of anticipatory throws, put him on the Day 3 radar for teams in the market for a backup quarterback. Which teams present the best landing spot for Bradley in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Which Teams Could Draft Carter Bradley?
Indianapolis Colts
This one almost makes too much sense. If reuniting a father with his son in the NFL isn’t reason enough, the Colts could use a developmental third-string quarterback to learn behind Anthony Richardson and veteran Joe Flacco in one of the most exciting offensive schemes in the NFL courtesy of Shane Steichen.
Bradley proved capable of running the mesh concept at South Alabama — probably because they spammed it over and over again — which could translate his ability to operate Steichen’s RPO-heavy scheme effectively at the NFL level.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did lock down Baker Mayfield for the next three seasons with a healthy contract extension, but the depth chart behind him doesn’t really have a whole lot going for them.
Sure, Kyle Trask is still on the roster, but he failed to win the starting quarterback competition, which suggests the coaching staff that drafted him three years ago doesn’t fully trust him in a starting role.
Bradley’s skill set and production over the last two years could provide the Bucs with a developmental Day 3 prospect who can compete with Trask for the backup position behind Mayfield, who has shown a tendency to get banged up often over the last four years.
Tampa Bay’s situation is good, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rachaad White, and Cade Otton entrenched as the starting collection of pass catchers. Still, it could stand to improve the interior of the offensive line to help support whoever is under center for the Bucs in the coming years.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are almost certain to address the quarterback position with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean they can’t double-dip at the position on Day 3.
Kliff Kingsbury is the new offensive coordinator for the Commanders and is a renowned Air Raid practitioner who tends to prioritize screens, RPOs, and a handful of scheme-specific passing concepts, such as mesh. In case a reminder is required, Bradley has plenty of experience going through progressions in the mesh concept because South Alabama ran it … a lot.
GET DRAFTING: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
Washington is certainly in the mix for Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye at the top of the draft, which means the path to a starting role in this scenario is far from ideal for Bradley.
Yet, Bradley’s flashes of production at South Alabama could jump significantly when he is throwing to the likes of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Austin Ekeler, and Zach Ertz if he manages to develop into a solid backup behind one of the top prospects in this class.
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!