Sam Bradford Rookie Card
Sam Bradford, QB St. Louis Rams
There was little surprise when the St. Louis Rams drafted Sam Bradford out of the University of Oklahoma. The Rams needed a quarterback that could lead the team into the future and felt confident that the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner is the right man. However, college success does not necessarily translate into NFL success nor does being a first round pick.
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Bradford does appear to have many of the right traits, both physically and mentally, to succeed. Standing just over 6’ 4” tall and weighing in at 236 pounds he has the frame to stand tall in the pocket and take the hits that come with playing in the National Football League. His Wonderlic score of 36 bodes well for his mental acuity.
Perhaps the best indicator of his potential for success is his track record in college. As a freshman he showed he had what it took to play at a high level when he set the record for touchdowns thrown by a freshman with 36. The rest of his statistics speak for themselves. Completing close to 70 percent of his passes in two seasons as a starter proves his ability to be accurate.
Most important for his NFL future is his decision-making ability and cool under fire. During the 2008 season he threw 142 more passes, had 14 more touchdowns, but still threw just eight interceptions (like his freshman season).
Judging how well a player does under pressure is not easy to do, but with Bradford playing at a big-time school like Oklahoma he got plenty of chances to play in pivotal, important games. After losing to Colorado in 2007 it would not have been surprising to see him falter against Texas the following week, but instead he led the Sooners to a 28-21 victory.
As a sophomore, no one would have been surprised if Bradford slipped following the loss to Texas especially since it knocked the team out of the #1 spot. Instead he led the team to three dominant victories down the stretch over ranked opponents scoring more than 60+ points in each game.
At one time it was common to see quarterbacks in the first round immediately thrust into the starting line-up. However, in recent years more teams have begun to wait a few seasons before inserting them into the line-up. The team did not intend on inserting Bradford this early, but the injury to A.J. Feeley opened the door.
A solid performance in two preseason games has given the team the confidence to move forward with Bradford leading the way. If he becomes the player that the Rams think he can be you will be thanking yourself for buying his rookie card!