15 quarterbacks were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, a total that more than doubles the 7 quarterbacks that were taken last year. The first two selections, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, were more than expected, but the rest of the quarterback class shook out in interesting fashion.
By: Derrik Klassen
Jared Goff, Cal – Los Angeles Rams (1st overall)
Goff steps into Los Angeles without any quality competition for the starting job. The team will be his from day one. Goff’s game is mostly predicated on throwing within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage and down the seam, much like the last quarterback the Rams took 1st overall. With Todd Gurley being the focal point of the offense, Goff’s role early on will be minimized.
He will not be asked to win games in his own right, which is perfect for a quarterback who struggled to make explosive plays in college. In an offense that is going to ask little more than for him to keep the ball safe and make routine throws, it is difficult to imagine Goff having a rough rookie year.
Carson Wentz, North Dakota State – Philadelphia Eagles (2nd overall)
The Eagles have a mess of a quarterback situation now. Sam Bradford, who now wants to be traded, and Chase Daniel are already rostered with relatively expensive contracts, and the Eagles gave up a bevy of picks to grab Wentz. Wentz is not ready to start at the NFL, but with him turning 24 years old as a rookie, he needs reps quickly, especially as a player coming from the FCS level. Luckily, the Eagles already have solid, young weapons for Wentz including Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz. The Eagles offense is likely going to feel like a West Coast offense, though, and that is an odd fit for Wentz.
Wentz is a passer that needs plays to take a bit of time to develop. He does not move his feet well in the pocket, leading him to struggle to execute route concepts that absolutely require timing and precision. If the Eagles can sort out their offensive line and mix in more intermediate level route concepts, Wentz may fare a bit better. Assuming the Eagles offensive line does not improve much and the offense has to be a quick-passing offense, Wentz will look like a bad pick.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis – Denver Broncos (26th overall)
Not only did the Broncos make the best quarterback selection in terms of value, but they got the best quarterback period. Lynch is a perfect fit for Denver’s offense, too. Kubiak likes to roll his quarterbacks out, run a lot of routes over the intermediate area of the field and take aggressive shots down the field. For someone as athletic, poised and accurate down the field as Lynch, there could not have been a better team to land with than Denver.
The team is coming off of a Super Bowl season in which they had poor quarterback play and that takes a lot of pressure off Lynch to be a superstar early on. He can lean on the run game some, force the ball to his playmakers (Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders) and rely on a very good defense to keep the score safe. Lynch is in the best scenario possible for him.
Christian Hackenberg, Penn State – New York Jets (51st overall)
Whether or not he deserved to, Hackenberg was always going to find his way into the top 100. Unlike the first three quarterbacks selected, Hackenberg is not likely to start the season for the Jets. The team still has Geno Smith and Bryce Petty on the roster.
The three will compete for the job, but ultimately, Hackenberg is most likely to end up as the backup behind Smith, at least to start the year. Hackenberg’s fit with the Jets is questionable because Chan Gailey tends to run a quick, perimeter based passing attack- something Hackenberg struggled to do his final two years at Penn State. Granted, the Jets do have Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, but Hackenberg is going to need a lot of time to try to adjust to the NFL and Gailey’s style of passing offense.
Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina State – New England Patriots (91st overall)
The Patriots have a history of drafting quarterbacks often to sit behind Tom Brady. They tend to flip-flop between conservative, “smart” passers, such as Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer and Jimmy Garoppolo, and aggressive, big armed throwers like Ryan Mallett and now Brissett. Brissett played in an NC State offense devoid of talent, forcing him to be the catalyst for most everything.
Naturally, Brissett developed a “Superman syndrome” type play style in which he always looked for the big play. He had his fair share of mistakes because of that, but because he is a great deep passer, he also generated a lot of explosive plays with his play style. Brissett needs his aggression as a passer to be corralled a bit, but he has the fearless mentality and big play ability to be a worthwhile selection.
Cody Kessler, USC – Cleveland Browns (93rd overall)
The most logical explanation for taking Kessler this high is that the Browns wanted to ensure they had a conservative, low-variance passer behind Robert Griffin III. They could have waited to do so, but the idea behind the pick makes sense. Kessler can execute a lot of the short/intermediate route concepts that Hue Jackson will install, though he will not be any sort of playmaker. Kessler was primarily brought it as an insurance policy for Griffin.
Connor Cook, Michigan State – Oakland Raiders (100th overall)
Cook’s off-field issues seemed to have pushed him down much further than was expected. That said, Oakland allows Cook to take a back seat to Derek Carr and work on his footwork more, as well as fully recover from his shoulder injury. Cook is a good fit for Oakland if he were to have to play, though. Receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree make a great duo for an aggressive quarterback like Cook, much like the type of aggressive passer Carr has been. Oakland make a great selection, both in terms of value and fit.
Dak Prescott, Mississippi State – Dallas Cowboys (135th overall)
This is another great quarterback fit. Prescott has been advertised as a developmental quarterback and Dallas provides a good environment for him to do so. There will be no pressure on him to start with Tony Romo on the roster. On top of that, Dallas has an outstanding offensive line and one of the best receivers in the league in Dez Bryant. The Bryant factor is especially important for Prescott because he made a habit of targeting his No.1 receiver, De’Runnya Wilson, very often at Mississippi State. With a receiver as talented as Bryant, that could certainly pay off if Prescott we to see the field.
Cardale Jones, Ohio State – Buffalo Bills (139th overall)
The Bills went after a quarterback that can provide a lot of the same dynamic as current starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Jones sports a bigger frame and arm than Taylor, but has the same ability to be a mobile threat, keep calm when under duress and make deadly throws down the field. Jones is a playmaker through and through. He will not compete with Taylor for the starting job, but he will battle out EJ Manuel for the number two spot. If Jones’ outstanding 2014 run is a true indication of his talent, beating out Manuel should be a cakewalk.
Kevin Hogan, Stanford – Kansas City Chiefs (162nd overall)
Hogan is about as predictable of a pick as Andy Reid could have made. Hogan is a smart, mobile West Coast style quarterback with a lot of experience as a starting quarterback. He can move enough in and out of the pocket to keep some plays alive and has displayed some deep passing ability, but he won’t be a dynamic playmaker on a snap to snap basis. His job will be to make quick, accurate throws in the short and intermediate levels of the field, something he was quite accustomed to doing at Stanford. Hogan will be a fine reserve quarterback for Alex Smith, assuming he beats out Aaron Murray for the backup spot.
Nate Sudfeld, Indiana – Washington (187th overall)
Nothing about the Sudfeld pick makes it feel like a good move. Sudfeld struggled to execute simple concepts at Indiana and was not a particularly accurate passer. His arm and size alone got him drafted. There were a plethora of better quarterbacks left on the board. Sudfeld will struggle to beat out Colt McCoy for the number two job in Washington and it is tough to see him ever making any sort of impact.
Jake Rudock, Michigan – Detroit Lions (191st overall)
Detroit went with the most bland of all the quarterback selections. Rudock does not do anything special, but he is not a total train wreck either. He had a decent season under Jim Harbaugh as a graduate transfer at Michigan, showing that he could execute within the structure of the system and make a nice window throw on occasion. It is unlikely Rudock will ever be more than an average backup.
Brandon Allen, Arkansas – Jacksonville Jaguars (201st overall)
Allen feels like a weird fit for Jacksonville. He is the polar opposite of Blake Bortles. Bortles plays loose and does not fear anything, whereas Allen plays tight to the structure of the offense and does not seem to trust his arm to make big throws. At best, Allen is a mobile passer that Jacksonville can manufacture enough easy passes for in a pinch.
Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech – San Francisco 49ers (207th overall)
Somehow, the 49ers looked past Driskel’s Florida days and decided to take a chance on his tools. He has the athletic ability and conservative mentality at quarterback that Chip Kelly seems to covet. Though, Driskel does not provide much other than baseline footwork ability and flashy tools. Assuming Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick both remain on the roster, there is no way Driskel surpasses either on the depth chart.
Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky – Miami Dolphins (223rd overall)
Doughty makes a lot of sense as a safe backup for when Matt Moore leaves in a couple years. Doughty showed mental proficiency as Western Kentucky, though he did not display much ability to create offense on his own. He has some issues in the pocket and does not have an aggressive mentality. With him not being expected to be any more than more depth at quarterback and a future backup, Doughty is a fine selection.
Trevone Boykin, TCU – Seattle Seahawks (Undrafted)
Boykin could not have signed with a better fitting team than Seattle. The way their offense is structured is perfect for a mobile, fearless passer like himself. His ability to make plays gives him the feel of a watered down Russell Wilson- just as a Seahawks backup quarterback should feel. Boykin more than enough talent to earn a spot on the 53.
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