Sam Bradford's pro day once left NFL scouts speechless

Need a reason to feel good about Sam Bradford during this slow NFL period? Of course you do.

I recently stumbled across this old article from former Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel Gil Brandt about Bradford's pro day. Check out the kind of praise Bradford drew. Bold emphasis is mine:

"Sam Bradford’s workout Monday in front of representatives for all 32 NFL teams at Oklahoma’s pro day almost left me speechless. And that’s saying something.

Bradford threw 63 passes (13 during a stationary period and 50 scripted throws) during the workout and, in my estimation, didn’t have one that was uncatchable. He moved around well, including throwing on the run out of the pocket, and went through the entire route tree. The scripted workout included three-, five- and seven-step drops, shotgun, and play-action plays, plus sprints and rollouts to both sides.

It really was a treat to watch, and I think everyone here was in awe of Bradford’s performance. In fact, he put on the best quarterback workout by a draft prospect that I’ve seen since I watched a private workout Troy Aikman put on for us with the Cowboys in California."

Bradford wasn't the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by accident. The guy has legitimate talent. But impressing during a pro day is obviously meaningless if the success doesn't translate to game day. It's no secret Bradford struggled in his time with the St. Louis Rams. He was a victim of circumstance to some extent, but he deserves blame as well.

It's been over five years now since that pro day took place. So much has changed since then. The Eagles feel there's a still a chance Bradford can be the impressive player he once projected to be. Bradford did flash during Philadelphia's spring practices despite being less than 100%, but it won't mean anything until he can stay healthy and produce on game day.