Teddy Bridgewater diagnosed with heart condition at NFL Combine
Teddy Bridgewater got a brief heart scare during his pre-draft physical at the NFL Combine, but follow-up exams indicated he was fine.
Teddy Bridgewater was diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat at the NFL Scouting Combine last February, according to NFL.com, unbeknownst to reporters. Bridgewater revealed the condition during a conference call after being selected by the Minnesota Vikings at the end of the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft on Thursday. Fortunately for the quarterback, follow-up tests revealed he had nothing to worry about.
“I just had an abnormal heartbeat,” Bridgewater said during the call. “I think it was 1 percent, or one beat, less than the normal beat. So, I came back up to Minnesota, got the physical, got the EKG and everything, got tested and it came back positive.”
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During pre-draft visits, the Vikings were reportedly the only team to check up on the ailment. Head coach Mike Zimmer personally vouched for Bridgewater, however, saying, “It was nothing. ... It was a blip or something.”
Thankfully for Bridgewater -- and all of us, really -- news of the diagnosis did not slip out before the draft. He spent enough time in the headlines for his strange plummet down draft boards due to a bad pro day. His heartbeat didn’t scare the Vikings from trading up to take him at the close of the first round. The pick could prove to be a steal. SB Nation rated Bridgewater as its No. 3 overall player in the draft.
Bridgewater should compete for a starting job from his first day in training camp. His current competition is Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel, neither of which garnered much confidence from the Vikings' previous staff last season.
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