With about a month and a week to go before the 2016 NFL Draft, there’s still a lot to be decided. As the players make their closing arguments and try their best not to get arrested in the days leading up to the biggest night of their lives, California quarterback Jared Goff has begun to separate himself from the crowd and has topped off the charts in a good number of mock drafts, usually going to the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers after they trade with the Tennessee Titans for the first pick.
“I wish somebody would start some rumor to get Goff to fall in the draft,” said an NFC executive when asked about the Cal star. “Let’s get that small-hand talk going. We would take him tomorrow. He’s the best quarterback in this draft, and it’s not as close as the media is making it sound.”
Now there’s an interesting opinion. So while the media is trying to play up this Jared Goff vs. North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz thing, the NFL circles seem to have made a decision already.
If Goff is the No. 1 overall pick, then that team (most likely a trade partner of the Titans, who seem adequately satisfied with Marcus Mariota) will be getting a guy who, say what you want, had a stellar season with the Golden Bears. 4,719 yards on over 64 percent completion to go with 43 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions is something teams at the beginning of the draft can only dream about.
Of course, the other side of the argument is that Goff hasn’t exactly been tested. Sure, his stats are nice, but when five of those interceptions come against Utah, in my mind, it casts doubt on his ability to play signal-caller against a better defense.
Personally, for what it’s worth, I don’t think Goff or Wentz will amount to much in the NFL. 2012 was the Year of the Quarterback in the NFL Draft—we don’t need one going first every year.