Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
The quarterback class for the 2013 NFL Draft was not loaded with stars, but it was still surprising to see E.J. Manuel become the first signal caller off the board when the Buffalo Bills made him the 16th overall pick.
Manuel became a full-time starter over his final two seasons at Florida State, completing nearly 67 percent of his passes while throwing for over 6,000 yards with 41 touchdowns and 18 interceptions over that span. His physical tools are clear, but he is considered to be a bit of a project and may not start immediately while he works to fix some fundamental mechanical issues.
The Bills re-shuffled their depth chart under center this offseason, with Doug Marrone in place as their new head coach, letting Ryan Fitzpatrick go and signing Kevin Kolb in free agency. Buffalo acquired Tarvaris Jackson from the Seattle Seahawks prior to last season, and he is also theoretically in the mix to start despite not attempting a pass in 2012.
Marrone has already suggested Manuel will be on equal footing with the two veterans in the competition for the starting job, but right now Kolb has to be considered the frontrunner to start Week 1. But with Kolb’s injury history, including missing 10 games last season with the Arizona Cardinals due to a severe rib issue, the Bills may quickly be left looking for other options.
Manuel may not start right out of the gate in 2013, but unless the Bills are a playoff contender it should only be a matter of time before he is starting games. Kolb and Jackson have not shown the ability to hold down a starting job in their previous stops, due mostly to injury or ineffectiveness, and Manuel’s upside stands to be hard for the coaching staff to ignore for very long.
From a fantasy football perspective, Manuel’s value in single-season leagues is limited at this point due to the uncertainty over how many games he will play. But if he wins the starting job outright during the preseason, he would carry some appeal as a low-end QB2 in 12 and 14-team leagues.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
