Since the conclusion of the college football season, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, Cal's Jared Goff and Memphis' Paxton Lynch have all jockeyed for the coveted position of No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft. Lynch had the gaudy regular season numbers, Goff made the biggest impression during Bowl season, and Wentz has arguably been the most consistent when on the field. Perhaps slow and steady truly does win the race, as ESPN NFL Draft Insider Todd McShay has anointed Wentz the top prospect at the position in his latest Big Board.
"I've finally had time to study enough tape on the top QBs to put Wentz No. 1, slightly ahead of Jared Goff," McShay wrote. "Wentz has the frame (6-foot-51/4, 233 pounds). He has the arm. He can make all the throws - even in cold, windy weather. He's a mobile QB who extends plays with his feet. And in the most important areas of QB evaluation - mental makeup and accuracy - Wentz grades out extremely high."
Wentz completed 62.5 percent of his passes in 2015 while throwing for 1,651 yards with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. Though he didn't have a full season to showcase his skill set, he provided enough tape to put him firmly in the round one conversation and is now in a position to be the first QB taken off the board. But why is he ahead of Goff and Lynch?
Goff has an impressive mental makeup and will take to NFL level offenses quickly. He's possibly the most talented raw passer of the bunch, but the one consistent knock against him has been his lack of ideal size. He's not small at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. But he could stand to add some bulk to his frame.
Lynch has skill, but teams considering him must determine if he was a product of Memphis' high percentage throwing offense. Many of Lynch's reads resulted in throws behind the line of scrimmage or to predetermined targets. Can he adjust on the fly?
All these questions, and more, will be examined as we draw closer to the NFL scouting combine. For now, Wentz has a narrow lead.
