WFNY’s 2016 NFL Draft Coverage: Joe Gilbert’s Top Five Quarterbacks

We are under one week away from the beginning of the 2016 NFL Draft, meaning teams are making their final decisions on what route they will go in the draft, narrowing down their options. The draft is the biggest event of the NFL offseason, giving teams the chance to improve their roster with new talent. Starting with the defensive prospects, I have been releasing my top five NFL Draft prospects at each position. Today, we finish the positional rankings with the ever-important quarterback group. For reference, here were my top five quarterbacks in last year’s draft.

The Browns have been looking for a franchise quarterback ever since 1999. The team traded back, meaning they will be out of the market for the top two quarterbacks, but the next group of the quarterbacks will definitely be in the discussion in Cleveland. This class is a solid group, but in my opinion there is only one elite quarterback, Jared Goff. The rest of the class has talent, but these players will need work and time to meet their potential. So with that, here are my top five quarterbacks in the 2016 NFL Draft.

2016 NFL Draft Prospects Rankings:

Safeties | Cornerbacks | Inside Linebackers | Edge Rushers | Interior Defensive Linemen | Offensive Tackles | Interior Offensive Linemen | Tight Ends | Wide Receivers | Running Backs | Quarterbacks

1. Jared Goff, California

Jared Goff is a smart quarterback with an arm to make every throw in the NFL. In 13 games as a junior last season, he completed 64.5% of his passes for 4,719 yards, 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The California Golden Bear has great presence in the pocket, aware of where the rushers are coming from. He evades rushers with simple movements, while almost always keeping his eyes downfield to find an open target. Goff has a wide base with good footwork to shuffle in the pocket and be in the right position to throw, including moving up in the pocket. Even with his pass happy system at Cal, the quarterback scans the field well, going through reads, looking from one side of the field to another.

Goff’s arm is very good; he has good accuracy and an ability to hit his targets at any level. He has solid ball placement to allow his pass catcher to be in a good position to run after the catch. He can change his throwing speeds based on the situation, throwing a dart one throw and than a touch pass the next. He has a quick release to get the ball out quickly. He has good height at 6-foot-4 with solid athleticism. He has the ability to scramble and gain yardage with his feet.

Goff is a confident player who is not afraid to throw into tight windows. He showed toughness and leadership in college because he faced an uphill battle with the talent around him, suffering an insane amount of drops from his receivers and horrible protection at Cal. He is, however, not a perfect prospect. His accuracy can get a little inconsistent at times. He has a tendency sometimes to throw high or overthrow a player. Even with his good pocket presence, he can still suffer some happy feet that messes up his footwork. He can rush a throw, throwing the ball without his bottom half, which can cause him to miss targets. He can fade away on some throws, rather stepping into the pass. He also is coming from a shotgun, pass happy offense, so he will need to work on playing under center. His slight frame at 215-pounds could be an issue in terms of taking the pounding of the bigger, tougher NFL. But in the end, Goff has the pocket presence, accuracy, intelligence and arm talent to be a top-flight starter in the NFL. He is expected to be the first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

https://gfycat.com/PertinentFirstBlackrhino

2. Carson Wentz, North Dakota State

Carson Wentz has the physical tools that teams would love to have in their starting quarterback. In only seven starts (missing eight games with an injury) during his senior last year, he completed 62.5% of his passes for 1,651 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions, while also rushing for 294 yards and six touchdowns. The North Dakota State star stands at a sturdy 6-foot-5, 237-pounds. He pairs that good size with good athleticism. He has the ability to make plays with his legs and be a dual threat quarterback. He has an excellent arm with the ability to easily make any throw on the field. He uses his whole body to drive through the throw, giving the pass a lot of zip. He can throw across the field and rifle it into tight windows while possessing the ability to add some touch on the pass in situations where it is warranted.

Wentz possesses plus accuracy, completing short to intermediate level throws with good ball placement. He can complete passes on the move, squaring his body to make the accurate throw. The quarterback has quick feet and wide base, which helps him move well inside the pocket. He can evade the oncoming rusher and extend his internal clock to throw the ball. He can change his arm angle based on the situation he is in, using the best angle to complete the pass. He came out of a pro style offense with the experience to make calls at the line and play from under center. He also is a good leader with a highly productive and winning career in college.

Wentz does have some deficiencies in his game. Vision wise, he tends to stare down receivers and lock onto a target. He can stay with his first option too long and sometimes force a bad play to happen because he did not move his eyes to the next read. He needs to improve his field vision and be able to use the whole field. Even though he has a great arm and can make any throw, his accuracy on deep passes is not good. He far too often overthrows the receiver, missing opportunities for big plays. His accuracy declines greatly once you get into the deeper routes down field. Overall, he is not a very experienced player, starting only 23 games in his career. Also, that experience came in the FCS against lower level competition. But in the end, Wentz’s physical skills are definitely enticing for teams to work with and form into a NFL starting quarterback.

https://gfycat.com/ScentedBrokenFluke

3. Paxton Lynch, Memphis

Paxton Lynch is a player with raw physical talent that is rare to see at the quarterback position. In 13 games as a junior last season, he completed 66.8% of his passes for 3,776 yards, 28 touchdowns and four interceptions, while also rushing for 239 yards and two touchdowns. At 6-foot-7, 244-pounds, the Memphis star has the size to tower over the defense and see the entire field. He has the frame and ability to add weight to handle the physical NFL. He combines this huge size with unique athleticism. He has good speed to make things happen with his legs and pretty light feet to move around in the pocket. He scrambles well, avoiding rushers and extending plays for his team. His arm strength is outstanding, able to make any throw in the NFL and then some. He throws with good zip to his receivers. When his feet are set, Lynch is a fairly accurate thrower at all levels of the field, especially on short or intermediate throws, flashing the ability to place the ball in places where receivers can run after the catch.

The quarterback showed the ability to affect on the run, completing passes when the pocket is moving or when he is scrambling. In glimpses because of the system, he has shown that he can scan the field for an open receiver. He also has a quick release to get the ball out fast. He has been a productive and program changing player for Memphis.

For all of the awe that comes with his size, Lynch is a really raw player at this point in his career. The system he ran in college consisted of a lot of screens and short passes, limiting his down field throwing attempts. So, a lot of the evidence for his throwing ability is based on limited NFL level passing attempts. His footwork is a mess. He is far too inconsistent at setting his feet to make a throw. Many times he is simply throwing with just his upper body, with his lower half staying behind. This inconsistent footwork hurts his accuracy and weakens his best asset, his arm. He simply does not get the same power on his throws when his feet are not fluid with his upper half. Even though he is a solid decision maker, he can be too slow at diagnosing a defense and making a decision, allowing opportunities to subside. With his strong arm, he still has not harnessed it well enough to show great touch. He can overthrow a pass when he needed to be softer and float it. But nevertheless, Lynch is a player with the physical ability to play in the NFL, needing some time to refine his skills.

https://gfycat.com/AffectionateVillainousArmadillo

4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

Dak Prescott is a player with a lot of success and production in his college career. In 13 games as a senior this past season, he completed 66.2% of his passes for 3,793 yards, 29 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 588 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Mississippi State star has improved throughout his career, coming into college as a more run-first quarterback. He has developed in a pocket quarterback who also has the dual threat ability. At 6-foot-2, 226-pounds, he is built well, able to take the physicality of the NFL. He is a good athlete, who can make things happen with his legs, breaking tackles with his strong, physical running style. He moves well in the pocket, moving around the pocket to avoid the oncoming rushers.

Prescott’s arm is solid. He has the necessary arm strength to make NFL throws. He also shows the ability to put touch on his passes. When his feet are set, he shows good accuracy at all levels of the field. His mental aspect is also an improving part of his game. He shows the ability to go through his progressions, moving on from his first options when they are covered. He scans the entire field to find the open receiver. He shows toughness and leadership, turning the Mississippi State program into a winner.

Prescott, however, is not without some deficiencies in his game. His footwork and lower body is still a work in process in terms of throwing the ball. He does not consistently throw the ball with his feet set. He can be seen throwing with just his upper body, leaving his lower half behind. He needs to learn to throw through his legs on a constant basis. Many times he has his leading leg on his side rather than in front of him, losing power and accuracy in his throw. When throwing on the run, he oftentimes throws the ball while jumping, rather than squaring himself and setting his feet. In the pocket, his feet can get to stagnate and flat-footed, which can affect his quickness to set his feet and get the ball out quickly. But in the end, Prescott is a good athlete, with a solid arm, mental makeup and toughness to develop his game and become a starter in the NFL.

https://gfycat.com/HeavyIllustriousGermanshorthairedpointer

5. Cardale Jones, Ohio State

Cardale Jones has the physical tools that teams dream about having in their NFL quarterback. In 10 games as a junior last season, he completed 62.5% of his passes for 1,460 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions, while also adding 193 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The first thing you notice when watching the Ohio State Buckeye is his impressive size at 6-foot-5, 253-pounds. Even with his huge size, he possesses unique athleticism to be a dual threat quarterback. He runs with physicality and toughness to break tackles and punish defenders trying to take him down. His size, strength and athleticism makes him incredibly hard to sack, shaking off rushers and moving his feet to avoid the pressure.

Nicknamed “12 Gauge,” Jones has a rocket arm, arguably the strongest arm in the entire draft. He can make any throw and then some. He makes it look effortless to throw a 40-yard bomb down field. He puts an impressive zip on the ball, which can help him fit passes into tight windows. The quarterback does not just have a strong arm, he also is pretty accurate on his intermediate to deep passes. Even with his powerful arm, he shows good touch to change speeds on his passes based on the situation. He also has a quick release to get the ball out fast.

As Buckeye fans know, Jones is not a finished product. His mental aspect of his game is still a work in progress. He was prone to staring down his first option, not showing much in terms of progressions. If the first option was gone, he would sometimes panic by either scrambling or just throwing the ball away. He did not use the entire field, not showing the propensity to look on the opposite of the field to find a target. His footwork was inconsistent because he could get away with it due to his excellent arm strength. He can throw with his feet not set, which hurts his ability to throw with all his power and with good accuracy. He sometimes threw off his back foot. He relied too much on his arm, throwing many times with just his upper body. This inconsistent footwork hurt his accuracy and ball placement. He often times overthrew passes and missed open targets. His feet can also get stagnate in the pocket, which makes it take longer to get his feet set and throw the ball. But in the end, Jones has the physical tools coaches will love to work with and with some time, he could be a NFL starting quarterback.

https://gfycat.com/DeepInfantileArmedcrab