If the Vikings get desperate, Teddy Bridgewater might start a lot of games next season. If not, he could do plenty of watching.

That’s how recent history projects the rookie quarterback’s season playing out.

Bridgewater was taken with the No. 32 pick in last month’s draft. The Pioneer Press looked at all quarterbacks this century drafted within 10 picks of No. 32 and how much each played as a rookie.

Seven of the 14 didn’t start a single game, including potential hall of famers Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Four others didn’t start more than five.

Only three of the 14 were regular starters as rookies, and all were on teams that had desperate quarterback situations. Andy Dalton, after being drafted No. 35 by Cincinnati in 2011, started all 16 games for the Bengals after Carson Palmer said he would never play for them again.

Brandon Weeden, taken No. 22 by Cleveland in 2012, started 15 games after the Browns had an uninspiring 4-12 season under Colt McCoy. Geno Smith, selected No. 39 by the Jets, started all 16 games after the Mark Sanchez situation blew up in New York.

Quarterbacks selected in the top half of the first round often play right away, but history shows that teams prefer to bring along passers taken in the range in which Bridgewater was selected more slowly.

“I’m aware of it,” Bridgewater said. “But right now all I can focus on is just trying to become a better player, trying to become a better teammate. So right now I’m learning from Matt (Cassel) and Christian (Ponder).”

Bridgewater, of course, could have such a good preseason that the Vikings would have no choice but to throw him into the lineup. That was the case with Russell Wilson, who went to Seattle in the third round in 2012 and scuttled plans to start much-ballyhooed free-agent signee Matt Flynn.

Now it will be seen if Cassel can hold off Bridgewater after training camp gets under way July 25. Although the Vikings’ quarterback situation seemed desperate after Ponder stumbled early, it didn’t finish that way. Cassel was solid in going 2-2 while starting the final four games as Minnesota finished 5-10-1.

That earned Cassel a new contract worth $10 million over two years to play under incoming Norv Turner, the quarterback’s eighth offensive coordinator in his past seven seasons.

“I think Cassel is a pretty capable player,” said CBS analyst Rich Gannon, an NFL quarterback from 1987-2004. “He’s had some real turnover and adversity with all the coaching changes and different coordinators, but I think he’s come out of it as a better player, and as a result I think he’s going to be pretty good in Norv’s offense.”

Gannon, who played his first six seasons in Minnesota, watched Bridgewater closely at the Vikings’ final minicamp session last Thursday and liked what he saw. But Gannon said it could end up being a better situation if Bridgewater were to be brought along slowly.

“I think the worst thing you can do is throw these guys out before they’re ready,” Gannon said. “I think you want to put guys in positions where they have a chance to succeed. … Where you make mistakes is when you push them out there before they’re ready, whether it’s physically or mentally. That can kill a guy’s confidence.”

That wasn’t an issue with Brees, who, like Bridgewater, was a No. 32 pick — although in 2001 it was in the second round. He got into only one game as a San Diego rookie, coming in off the bench.

The Chargers that season went with 39-year-old Doug Flutie as the starter. Brees took over the reins the next year and is now touching up his hall of fame-caliber resume with New Orleans.

Another guy headed toward Canton, Ohio, is Rodgers, who went No 24 to Green Bay in 2005. He obviously wasn’t going to play much immediately because the Packers’ starter was Brett Favre — giving Rodgers valuable time to learn.

San Francisco selected Colin Kaepernick No. 36 in 2011. He also didn’t get any starts as a rookie, but after taking over midway through his second season, led the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He recently signed a six-year, $126 million contract extension.

It doesn’t always work, of course. The four other quarterbacks drafted between Nos. 22 and 42 this century and without any rookie starts never did much of anything — J.P. Losman (taken No. 22 overall by Buffalo in 2004), Jason Campbell (No. 25 by Washington in 2005), Brady Quinn (No. 22 by Cleveland in 2007) and Kevin Kolb (No. 36 by Philadelphia in 2007).

The four quarterbacks who fit that bill but started between three and five games as rookies never became stars, either, although Rex Grossman — who started three games after going No. 22 to Chicago in 2003 — led the Bears to the Super Bowl in his fourth season.

The other three are all out of the NFL. Goodbye to Patrick Ramsey, who got five rookie starts after being drafted No. 32 by Washington in 2002; John Beck, who started four times after going No. 40 to Miami in 2007; and Tim Tebow, who got three starts after being drafted No. 25 by Denver in 2010.

Starting as a rookie certainly didn’t hamper Dalton. He has been solid while starting all 48 games in his first three seasons and leading the Bengals to three playoff berths.

Weeden, now with Dallas, might end up being a bust, but he was 29 as a rookie, so it’s hard to fault sending him into action right away. The most interesting case to observe moving forward will be Smith, who was dismal as a rookie and could have future issues with confidence.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has not made a definitive statement about Bridgewater’s immediate future.

“I think with (quarterback) you have to weigh a lot of different factors, how the defense is, where you’re at in the progression of things, maybe more so at that position than when you’re talking about a safety that handles different things,” Zimmer said. “We, as the Vikings, are not afraid to do anything.”

Zimmer insists the quarterback derby will be a three-way race when training camp gets under way, with even Ponder in the picture. He said he has a deadline for the decision in mind but wouldn’t reveal it.

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.