“I always wanted to be quarterback. They’re the leaders, they make the calls.”
– Junior Seau
In the past four NFL drafts, 43 quarterbacks have been selected. 2012 and 2013 had 11 passers in each draft get picked, 2014 had 14, and in 2015, the number dropped in half to just seven. Twice in that span (2012 and 2015) the quarterback has gone first overall. The 2016 NFL Draft will be no different, as the Los Angeles Rams moved up 14 spots to land the first overall pick, which will without question, be a signal caller.
The 2016 class offers a unique group of passers with three almost certain to be first round picks, several day two picks, and a bunch of day three selections. In total, we’ve identified as many as ten to twelve teams that could/should and others that will probably select a signal caller in the NFL Draft. All this of course, is subject to change with potential free agent moves and trades for Colin Kaepernick, Sam Bradford, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and probably Nick Foles.
They are as follows:
Arizona
Buffalo
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
LA Rams
NY Jets
Indianapolis
Philadelphia
San Francisco
San Diego
With that, we go into more detail:
Arizona is pretty stacked all around, putting them in a position right now to take a QB early in the draft. Carson Palmer is 36 and the Cardinals are going to eventually need to groom a young QB. They tried back in 2014 with Logan Thomas, but that didn’t work out.
Buffalo has Tyrod Taylor and EJ Emanuel on the roster, but they’ll look to add a QB in the middle of the draft. Bills GM Doug Whaley pretty much said this already.
Chicago only has Jay Cutler and David Fales on the roster right now, and with this draft being pretty deep at QB, now is a good chance to select someone and groom him. The Bears are also in a youth movement right now, picking a QB (especially early) will signal a full turning of the franchise.
Cleveland will get a QB at some point in this draft, no doubt about it. Trading back from No. 2 to No. 8 was a great move for the Browns as it allows them to fill in a bunch of needs through the draft, of which one will eventually be a passer.
Dallas needs to find an eventual replacement for Tony Romo. He was beaten up bad last year and the Cowboys ended up going through three backup QBs during a disastrous 4-12 season. They’ll find their guy at some point in Day 3.
Denver lost Peyton and Brock Osweiler this offseason and replaced them with Mark Sanchez. However, John Elway is coveting a QB and we can guarantee they’ll pick up one of them.
The Rams traded up to the top spot for a QB.
The Eagles did the same.
I have the Jets on this list although I think they can take a pass. They’ve still got Geno Smith and just picked up Bryce Petty last season.
The Colts could and should be in the market for a passer, especially with the injuries to Andrew Luck last year and the retirement of Matt Hasselbeck. They did sign Scott Tolzien as a backup, but they’ll need to find someone who can replace Luck should he miss an extended period of time again.
The Chargers have been set at QB since 2004, but Philip Rivers is turning 35 this season, and the Bolts need to start at least grooming someone for the future. It won’t be a Day 1 or Day 2 pick, but look for San Diego to add a QB.
And then there is San Francisco, which could and probably will take a signal caller at some point during the NFL Draft. How high up or low in the draft is all dependent on the up-in the air status of Colin Kaepernick.
So now we’ve got the 10-12 teams listed with reasons why they could take a QB, we take a look at the prospects we have getting picked. And with that, we have our predictions for the 2016 Quarterback Draft Class:
Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
Round 1: Eagles or Rams
Jared Goff, California
Round 1: Eagles or Rams
Paxton Lynch, Memphis
Round 1: Bears, Browns, 49ers, Broncos
Connor Cook, Michigan State
Rounds 1-2: 49ers, Broncos, Cardinals, Cowboys
Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
Rounds 2-5: Buffalo, Chicago, Cardinals, Jets
Dak Prescott, Ole Miss
Rounds 2-5: Broncos, Browns, Chargers
Cardale Jones, Ohio State
Rounds 3-5: Browns or 49ers
Jake Coker, Alabama
Rounds 4-6: Browns, Bears, Colts, Chargers, Buffalo
Kevin Hogan, Stanford
Rounds 4-6: 49ers, Broncos, Cowboys, Colts, Chargers
Cody Kessler, USC
Rounds 4-7: Cowboys, 49ers, Chargers
Vernon Adams Jr., Oregon
Rounds 5-7: 49ers
Nate Sudfield, Indiana
Rounds 6-7: Cowboys or Colts
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