Will Jarred Goff be the first pick in the NFL Draft? Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
CHICAGO — Quarterbacks are the marquee attraction in the 2016 NFL Draft when the Los Angeles Rams raise the curtain at Auditorium Theatre on Thursday.
In the franchise’s return to California, the Rams boldly traded a total of six picks for the No. 1 overall pick plus two others and are set to stake their future with California quarterback Jared Goff. The Rams, who packed up from St. Louis after NFL owners approved the move in January, could plan to start the rookie or ease him in behind multiple veterans on the roster.
Coach Jeff Fisher is showing his California cool ahead of the official announcement but all signs point to Goff.
“There’s only a few things better in life than this phone call,” Fisher said of keeping the choice under wraps until Thursday night. “It’s a great experience for them, so we don’t want to deny our pick that opportunity to experience that.”
It’s likely quarterbacks will go 1-2 for the second consecutive year and seventh time in the common draft era (1967).
Not far behind Thursday and likely with the second overall pick, underdog Carson Wentz of North Dakota State is expected to be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. When Wentz began his pre-draft rise at the Senior Bowl in January, the Eagles had the No. 13 pick and no head coach. Doug Pederson, formerly offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, is now in charge and his personnel boss, Howie Roseman, made multiple deals to slide the Eagles up from No. 13 (via trade with the Miami Dolphins) to No. 8 to No. 2 (via trade with the Cleveland Browns). The Eagles parted with a fistful of picks, including their 2017 first-rounder, to get at Wentz despite paying Sam Bradford $36 million over two years in March and signing backup Chase Daniel (three years, up to $21 million).
That is where the draft drama begins.
At No. 3 the San Diego Chargers have their choice of all non-quarterbacks in the draft. With holes at offensive tackle, safety and elsewhere, general manager Tom Telesco said trading back is an option but he doesn’t want to move out of the top 10 for fear of missing out on “impact players.”
Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil, Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley, Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack are rated as those impact players by NFLDraftScout.com and all on the radar of teams in the top 10.
The Cowboys are known to have a strong affinity for Ramsey but took a defensive back in the first round last year, UConn’s Byron Jones. Even after signing Alfred Morris to pair with Darren McFadden at running back, coaches are big fans of Elliott in Dallas. Bosa, under the tutelage of defensive line master motivator Rod Marinelli, would fill an immediate need. The Cowboys didn’t re-sign Greg Hardy and their top two ends under contract, Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence, are facing suspensions.
At No. 5, the Jacksonville Jaguars should score a player who can help a young team grow toward contender status after a spendy offseason. The Jaguars also get 2015 first-rounder Dante Fowler, a defensive end, back from a preseason injury that wiped out his rookie year.
Baltimore picks sixth and general manager Ozzie Newsome rarely misses in the first round. The Ravens would be thrilled to see Tunsil or Bosa available and could roll the dice on Jack, a dynamic playmaker some view as an NFL safety. He played linebacker and running back for the Bruins but is recovering from knee surgery.
“We still believe in taking the best players available, regardless of position,” Newsome said.
The Ravens have 11 picks in this draft, behind only the 12 selections for the San Francisco 49ers — whose first comes at No. 7 — and Browns, who are now at No. 8 after the deal with Philadelphia.
After Goff and Wentz, there is some debate over who the next quarterback off the board could be — Michigan State’s Connor Cook is rated behind Memphis junior Paxton Lynch by NFLDraftScout.com. Several teams picking in the teens closely studied quarterbacks, including the Buffalo Bills (18th) and New York Jets (19). The Denver Broncos are still knocking for help and 49ers general manager Trent Baalke acknowledged Wednesday that Colin Kaepernick could be dealt. Broncos vice president John Elway already met face to face with Kaepernick.
Quarterback is not the deepest position in this draft, one rich in defensive linemen and edge players.
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider put that idea into numerical terms Wednesday, saying his board includes 200 players this year when it usually has only 130 or 140 “draftable” prospects.
In his seven years as Seahawks GM, the franchise has made nine pick-for-pick trades under Schneider, and seven of them were to move back. The strategy could be popular Thursday considering Schneider’s blanket assessment.
“The most impressive one so far in terms of the sheer numbers of (draftable) players,” Schneider said.
