Back in mid-March, I wrote down a series of topics that I wished to blog about, one of them was regarding RG3’s signing with Cleveland. Another of the topics I had written down was “Which teams could trade up to draft Wentz?”. I wish I had written a blog piece on it, but I never did, and then on Thursday, it happened- the LA Rams made the biggest splash move of the draft offseason, trading for the No. 1 overall pick.
Since news broke of the trade, speculation has run rampant on who the Rams would pick, the consensus being the same- quarterback. But which one? North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz or California’s Jared Goff?
At the time I had written down my ideas, I had come to the very simple conclusion, if any team traded up to the top spot, it was for one player, and one player only- quarterback Carson Wentz.
Why Wentz and not Goff, whom many believe is the top rated QB in this draft? It’s quiet easy to answer.
Wentz has higher upside than Goff, and probably more importantly, he’s got the body frame that suits the NFL game.
Both are big QBs with good arms, however Wentz has an added advantage with his running ability. In his final two seasons at North Dakota State, Wentz averaged nearly 38 yards rushing a game, while playing in an open offense. His 6’5 235-pound frame is ideal for the NFL.
Goff on the other hand, has been criticized for having “small hands” as well as a slim body frame, which always brings a QB like Sam Bradford to mind.
The fact that the Rams, of all teams, who are coached by Jeff Fisher, traded up to have their pickings of these two is ironic indeed. At Tennessee, Fisher coached up a Division-II quarterback in Steve McNair, who’s attributes are similar to those of Wentz. In St. Louis, now LA, the Rams took Bradford 1st overall back in 2010, where he missed 31 games in five seasons.
One of the knocks on Bradford going into the draft, like Goff, was his slim body frame, which we believe, will be a major deciding factor in who goes No. 1 overall.
Personally, I like Goff a little more over Wentz, especially if the offense suits him (like Chip Kelly’s offense in San Francisco), however Wentz has the higher upside. He’s got the ideal height and weight, the ideal body frame, he can play the game, and he can run the ball, and if any team ever made a move to the top spot, it was to draft Carson Wentz, and Carson Wentz only.
And on Thursday morning, the Rams made that move official.
