Written by Mark Maske at Washingtonpost.com
A year ago, Florida State’s Jameis Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota went to the NFL scouting combine not only as the two prospective franchise centerpieces vying to be the top overall selection in last year’s draft, but also as well-established quarterbacking brand names. They were Heisman Trophy winners. They were the faces of their high-profile college programs. They had squared off in a closely watched national playoff semifinal.
As this year’s combine gets under way and the buildup to the late April NFL draft intensifies, there are no household-name quarterbacks to be found, at least not on the level of Winston and Mariota. But there just might be some potential franchise quarterbacks for needy NFL teams to scrutinize over the coming days in Indianapolis.
Talent evaluators seem to be forming a consensus that Jared Goff of California and Carson Wentz of North Dakota State are the top two quarterbacks in this year’s draft class and that both are capable of being taken very early in the draft. Paxton Lynch of Memphis could make it three quarterbacks chosen in the upper half of the opening round on draft night in April, possibly in the top 10.
Mike Mayock, a draft analyst for the league-owned NFL Network, said in a conference call Tuesday with reporters that “there’s a little bit more buzz on those top two quarterbacks,” and added later: “Obviously the Goff and Wentz thing has heated up. From my perspective, it’s two different conversations. I think Goff is more polished, ready to go today. I think Wentz has more significant upside.”
There are plenty of quarterback-needy teams picking early in this year’s draft. The Cleveland Browns have the No. 2 overall selection and seem likely to draft their new quarterback of the future following the expected release next month of Johnny Manziel.
The San Diego Chargers, picking third, potentially could add an eventual successor to Philip Rivers. The Dallas Cowboys, picking fourth, might contemplate getting Tony Romo’s eventual replacement. The San Francisco 49ers have an unsettled quarterback situation, with Colin Kaepernick’s status unclear, and choose seventh. Other teams potentially in need of quarterback help are the Philadelphia Eagles at 13th, the Los Angeles Rams at 15th and the Houston Texans at 22nd.
