For the past month, NFL coaches and scouts have been crisscrossing the nation to visit college campuses for the Pro Day workouts of hundreds of 2014 draft prospects. Now that traffic is moving in the other direction.
Each team in the NFL is allowed to bring up to 30 prospects to its team headquarters prior to the draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began this part of their draft preparations on Monday, the same day they started their offseason training program. Among the first to come to Tampa was Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, considered one of the coveted players in this year's draft.
Pre-draft visits allow teams to hold meetings between coaches and prospects, gather additional medical information and just generally get to know the players better. These visits do not include on-field workouts.
A Miami native, Bridgewater declared for the draft as an underclassmen after an outstanding junior season capped his three-year run at Louisville. Last fall, he completed 71.0% of his passes, threw for just under 4,000 yards and tossed 31 touchdowns against just four interceptions while leading Louisville to a 12-1 record and a season-capping win over the University of Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
