Will Jared Goff (16) be the No. 1 pick? Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Les Snead has a million dollar secret and the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams intends to keep it under lock and key until April 28.
Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft last week in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. All signs point to the Rams drafting a quarterback, and most suspect Cal’s Jared Goff holds the edge over North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.
The speculation is feeding Snead’s Cheshire Smile these days.
“There will be suspense leading all the way up to the draft,” Snead said. “It will be good for the networks.”
Quarterback quandaries are nothing new to this franchise. The Rams entered the offseason with journeyman restricted free agent Case Keenum as their presumed starter for 2016. Keenum signed a first-round RFA tender April 18 and could be in the picture unless the Rams are able to flip him for a draft pick.
Unloading quarterbacks for a perceived upgrade was a whiff for Snead last spring. The Rams traded oft-injured Sam Bradford, a former No. 1 overall pick who had two ACL surgeries while with the team, to the Philadelphia Eagles for Nick Foles.
Foles had a strong debut in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks but that would be his season highlight. He had 12 turnovers and seven touchdowns before the Rams looked to Keenum.
Goff is scheduled to visit the Rams later in the week. Wentz was in town Monday for meetings and dinner with Snead and Fisher. Fisher said they held workouts with both quarterbacks in March to “be the first ones in.”
In addition to Keenum and Foles, the Rams have Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015, on the roster.
Wentz is 6-5, 237 and ran a 4.77 40-yard dash at the 2016 Scouting Combine before lighting up a scripted workout in Fargo.
Goff is a San Francisco-area product and California lifer who starred at Marin Catholic before taking the reins for the Golden Bears. He capped his college career with a six-TD game and put up solid production in three years as a starter without a special supporting cast or offensive line.
“We’re familiar with both of them, in addition to those other prospects on this roster,” Fisher said. “So, the skill sets are different, the personalities are different, the background is different, the competition is different, and that’s what makes this such a challenge.”
