The NFL draft is still months away, but teams have started doing work on the top prospects and players like Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, and Christian Hackenberg could be first round targets. Teams like the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, LA Rams and Houston Texans all could end up taking quarterbacks at some point in the drat this year.
Goff is coming into the draft process as the top prospect among the group, but Wentz has been generating a lot of buzz coming out of North Dakota State. Wentz participated in the Senior Bowl last week and during practices and interviews, many NFL teams and scouts came away impressed with the quarterback. Wentz has the size and the arm to be an NFL quarterback and Senior Bowl director Phil Savage told NFL.com that multiple personnel people have said that Wentz could be a top five pick.
The Cleveland Browns pick at number two in the draft and if no one trades up, the team is likely going to be the first one to get a shot at a quarterback. The Titans have the number one overall pick, but after taking Marcus Mariota last year, the team is very unlikely to target the QB position. According to Cleveland.com, the Browns met with Wentz during the Senior Bowl and new head coach Hue Jackson said that he came away impressed with the quarterback.
The Browns reportedly are considering moving on from Johnny Manziel and even if the quarterback stays, it's unlikely he will be the starter moving forward. Jackson has already talked about the need for a quarterback and the number two pick could be how the team addresses the position for the future. According to Cleveland.com, sources report that the Browns have "genuine" interest in Wentz along with Goff, who put up big numbers at Cal last season.
Cleveland.com reports that one scout said that "if the Browns take Carson Wentz at No. 2 they'd be set for 15 years." Wentz is continuing to generate buzz among scouts and that could put the Browns in position to take him with the number two pick. Wentz does not have the stats that Goff has, as he dealt with some injuries at North Dakota, but he has the size and the measurables to be an NFL quarterback.
Wentz put up 45 touchdown passes in 42 games with North Dakota State and while he is from an FCS school, most scouts do not think that will be an issue for Wentz. The Dallas Cowboys, Eagles, LA Rams and Texans also are looking at quarterbacks this year and those teams also could consider taking Wentz if he is on the board when they pick.
