As we discussed in part one, my personal list may not match most of the draft lists out there as I actually believe more attention should be paid to toughness, actual in-game performance, heart and throwing accuracy and less on throwing drills against air, a long jump and meaningless 40 time. So here is the second part of my quarterback draft rankings.
7. Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
2015: 63.5 completion percentage, 1,651 yards, 17 touchdowns, four interceptions, 294 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, 6-foot-6, 235 pounds
Wentz is an exciting specimen and athlete with a great arm and good athleticism and he is, in no way, ready to play quarterback in the NFL. As a prospect he’s a good one and may one day be a guy that can step in after learning the game for four seasons on the bench. As a guy to start for your team as a rookie, not only does he ruin your team, it probably ruins his career.
Wentz likes to throw a low, hard ball, especially in the red zone that’s a guaranteed interception in the NFL. He does show some good tough on the deep ball and if a team like the Dallas Cowboys or Pittsburgh Steelers wants to think about the “next” guy to run their team, Wentz makes a lot of sense. For a team like Houston or Los Angeles who needs a quarterback to play this year, Wentz would be a disaster.
Wentz is, at present, slated to go in the first round and has jumped both Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook on a lot of pundits’ draft projections. I don’t see it and I don’t understand how any NFL-level offensive coach can justify it.
6. Jared Goff, California
2015: 64.5 completion percentage, 4,714 yards, 43 touchdowns, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds
With the NFL combine right around the corner Goff has emerged as the consensus top quarterback prospect in a deep QB class and I couldn’t disagree more. Goff has put up some fat stats in an offense that doesn’t require him to make reads and lives on bubble screens. Goff is probably the second worst deep thrower on this list after Christian Hackenberg from Penn State. When you see wide open receivers 30 yards downfield have to turn around on nearly every deep pass, that’s a problem in the NFL.
Goff stares down receivers like they flirted with his girlfriend and it’ll take more than one preseason to end that habit.
For a guy with that much arm-action on a throw, Goff actually has a quick release which is a good thing and his mid-range and red zone accuracy is very high, He can throw the back-shoulder fade with anybody and you can win with a quarterback like that. Just ask the New England Patriots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtHNb7rANN0
5. Cody Kessler, USC
2015: 66.8 completion percentage, 3.536 yards, 29 touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, 6-foot-1, 224 pounds
If Kessler was three inches taller he’d be the first quarterback taken in this draft. You want to see a guy put a pass on a dime 40 yards downfield, just pop on a Kessler highlight. He’s played in a pro style offense his entire college career with NFL-skill talent with NFL-skill opposition on the other side of the field.
Kessler makes his reads, knows how to move in the pocket and make every pass in the receiver route tree and put the ball right on the money. He sets his feet, scans the field and finds his man. He doesn’t panic when the rush is on and keeps his eyes downfield. Kessler throws a soft, catchable ball with zip and can fight it in tight spaces and has done it against defensive backs that were on NFL rosters last year.
If I coached offense in the NFL, this kid would be on my team in 2016 no matter how I had to make it happen. He reminds me of Kurt Warner, but with wheels, placing the ball in the receiver’s hands in a spot not only where he can catch it, but where he can do the most damage with it.
As it stands now, Kessler may not even get drafted. He’s projected as a seventh rounder or unrestricted free agent. These are the same scouts that had Russell Wilson rated as a third rounder below Nick Foles and Robert Griffin III. Remember that.
Next: 4-1
