First things first, Blake Bortles is not an elite quarterback right now. He probably won’t be an elite level quarterback next season, either.
But he certainly has the potential.
Writers at ESPN tried to tackle this subject in June, with a consensus forming that he isn’t the prototypical “elite” QB that the NFL expects from players like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers. In particular, Tennessee Titans writer Paul Kuharsky notes that “Bortles is never going to be a “clean” quarterback….”
Still, I personally believe that while he may not fit the mold that has developed around elite quarterbacks in recent years, he has the potential to be a league leader.