At the moment it seems the Los Angeles Rams don’t have a clear favorite quarterback to use their number one pick on: Jared Goff of California or Carson Wentz of North Dakota State. But the mystery could be only a smokescreen, nothing else.
The Rams have worked out both quarterbacks, and it’s hard to believe they would have made such a bold move up to the number one spot if they hadn’t been quite sure of who they want to take. Last season it was pretty obvious: Jameis Winston as the number one player to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Marcus Mariota to the Tennessee Titans. But the Titans moving down in the draft reshuffled the deck, screwing most of all the Cleveland Browns, who were sure they had first pick at a quarterback, knowing the Titans weren’t going to take one.
During the season and early after it was over, Goff looked like the guy most teams prefer as the first quarterback off the board. But the months since have moved Wentz above him on most draft boards. It’s not just the size Wentz has that seems to fit the ideal quarterback in everyone’s mind, but it’s also his accuracy and ability to escape pressure. Playing at FCS level can be deceiving, but his workouts and visits haven’t, and that’s what has mostly been pushing him towards being the first quarterback picked in the 2016 draft.
Goff has a leaner build, probably a stronger arm but he seems to have lapses in focus and concentration which lead to phases of mistakes and completely missing receivers. He has the tools and potential to become a good starting quarterback in the NFL over time, but Wentz looks like the guy who’ll get to that point earlier. Still, both players might not be ideal to start right away. However, there’s not a whole lot standing between the starting position and then for the Rams, who have Case Keenum and Nick Foles at the moment.
So who knows? Maybe the Rams still haven’t decided what they’re going to do. They might also be trying to trade the number one pick and move down to 2 through a three team trade by deploying the smokescreen. They could also be doing this to stay in the headlines. The Rams moving to Los Angeles is big enough, but it never hurts being talked about a little bit more and after such a long time without any success in what some consider a small football market, they’re taking advantage of the newly found interest.