Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch has five NFL scouts reportedly saying he will be the first quarterback selected in the 2016 NFL Draft if he declares, according to Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated.
Reports had already come out that Lynch looked like he could be a future NFL franchise quarterback, and his continued success is moving him up NFL draft boards. "His tools are unbelievable," said Memphis head coach Justin Fuente, via Sports Illustrated. "He's been blessed, and to his credit, he's been through tough times and he has worked hard to play well. He was not ready-made when he came out of high school. He had a lot of work to do and he's done it."
Lynch is focused on this current season and has the Tigers at 7-0 going into Saturday's game against Tulane. "It's crazy," said Lynch, via NFL.com "In the end I'm just worried about winning each game each week. If I'm fortunate enough to have that opportunity when the season's over to get drafted, I'll sit down and talk with Coach Fuente and my parents about that. But right now, I'm just doing what I got to do to help my team win ballgames."
Lynch wasn't heavily recruited out of high school in Florida, but Fuente was impressed when Lynch earned the most valuable player honors in the Central Florida All-Star game, according to Sports Illustrated. Fuente has been around NFL-caliber quarterbacks, as he was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at TCU when Andy Dalton was there.
"(Paxton hasn't) topped out," said Fuente, via Sports Illustrated. "When I had Andy Dalton as a junior, he was big and strong and as good a player as he was going to be. Paxton's still a kid as a junior. He's got plenty left."
The upside to Lynch's future could be huge, and the junior quarterback is creeping into the Heisman discussion this season even though he plays in the AAC. Some mock drafts have Lynch moving up the boards already, and Walter Football has placed him as the seventh pick in its most recent mock draft.
Lynch is having an unbelievable season, as he has thrown for 2,366 yards with 17 touchdowns to just one interception. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound quarterback looks NFL-ready but is showing there is still room for growth. Lynch has thrown for more than 300 yards six times this season and for more than 400 yards twice. The Tigers are looking to win the American Conference this season but look to be on a collision with Houston and Temple, who are also undefeated.
As the spotlight grows bigger on Lynch, it will be interesting to see if he continues to put up big numbers. The Tigers quarterback has NFL scouts seeing him as the first quarterback taken, but he will likely need to finish the season strong for that to happen.
