The 2016 NFL Draft will feature plenty of future NFL stars, but two prospects in particular are gaining a majority of the attention with a little more than a month away from the draft, as both North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and California's Jared Goff have become the prevailing topics in the lead-up to the draft.
California's quarterback impressed NFL franchises with his performance at the Golden Bears' pro day last week and, like Wentz, is expected to be vying for the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, as long as the Titans don't trade back. While Goff impressed at his pro day, Wentz has received high praises from both scouts and draft analysts, and he likely only boosted his high draft stock.
"One of the best pro days I've ever witnessed," NFL analyst Gil Brandt wrote. "Wentz reminds me of Joe Flacco. He had two 55-yard passes that were as pretty as I've seen." The comparisons with great NFL franchise quarterbacks didn't stop with Flacco, as NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock said that he has heard people compare the Bison quarterback with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
"From a toughness, from a game day perspective, from a competitive perspective he's Philip Rivers," Mayock said. The only negative to come out of Wentz's pro day was a poorly underthrown pass after Browns assistant coach Pep Hamilton doused the ball in water. Hamilton had run the same test with Goff at his pro day at California, as the Browns assistant coach wants to see how each prospect would throw in inclement weather, which tends to be the case in Cleveland.
"I would say A, if not A-plus on the pro day," NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "If you take the Gatorade bottle out of it, nearly flawless." With both Wentz and Goff impressing at their pro days, NFL franchises are left with a tough decision, as neither has shown a big enough weakness to put one on top of the other.
The Browns officially signed Robert Griffin III on Thursday, but many still expected them to target a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Both Goff and Wentz have done what they need to do to prove themselves worthy of a top-ten pick in the upcoming draft, and interviews, as well as game tape, could be the deciding factor as to where each prospect lands next month.
