California’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz are virtually even in a two-man race to become the first quarterback selected, likely second overall by the Browns, in the NFL Draft on April 28.
At least that’s the way ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. views the situation heading into the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs Tuesday through Monday in Indianapolis.
Kiper ranked Goff the fifth-best prospect in the draft and Wentz 18th, yet he predicted the Browns would select Wentz second overall instead of Goff in his most recent mock draft. The Tennessee Titans own the No. 1 pick, but they’re not in the market for a quarterback.
“Wentz is bigger at 6-5¼, 233 [pounds] than Goff [who’s listed by California as 6-4, 215], but Goff’s going to get bigger and stronger once he’s in the league,” Kiper said Monday during a conference call. “Goff’s the better passer. Wentz has mobility, but Goff can move around in the pocket. That’s a tough call.
“Wentz played in a dome, but he did play in some cold temperatures here and there, nothing below 34 degrees, so it will get into the teens and 20s [at times in Cleveland], and that will be a little bit of a shock, even though he’s coming from North Dakota State. So I think it’s a flip of the coin right now on those two quarterbacks. Some like Goff. Some like Wentz. I just went with the bigger quarterback in Wentz at No. 2.”
Kiper believes the key to success for Goff will be adding weight and strength. Goff went 14-23 in three seasons as Cal’s starter and completed 62.3 percent of his career passes with 96 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
“I’m not that concerned about Goff,” Kiper said. “If all you’re worrying about is weight and strength on a quarterback coming out of college, there isn’t much to critique. ... If that’s the only criticism you have, you’ve got yourself a heck of a prospect.
“He didn’t get hurt at Cal, and he got hit a lot. And he can really throw the football. I said back in September, October, he spins it as well as any quarterback in the country. ... If he was a little bigger right now than he is in terms of the weight, I don’t think there’d be any question he’d be the first quarterback taken.”
The main knock on Wentz is he played for a school in the Football Championship Subdivision instead of college football’s highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision. But he went 20-3 as a starter the past two seasons for the Bison, who have won five consecutive national titles, and impressed last month at the Senior Bowl. He completed 64.1 percent of his career passes with 45 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
“Great attitude, great approach, hard worker ... nothing bothers the kid, nothing rattles him,” Kiper said. “[With] his size, good arm — not a great arm — he’s going to be, I think, the second pick.”
Many analysts believe Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch will be picked in the first round along with Goff and Wentz, but Kiper isn’t convinced. In Kiper’s latest mock draft, he predicted Goff and Wentz would become the only first-round quarterbacks.
“He didn’t finish strong,” Kiper said of Lynch, who’s listed by Memphis as 6-7 and 245. “He was certainly in that [first-round] mix up until the late-season struggles.
“With a strong pro day, strong combine, with his size, his mobility, his athleticism, his arm, yeah, that would help him immensely. ... That would certainly get him back into the first round.”
If the Browns take a quarterback at No. 2, they could use the first pick of the second round (No. 32 overall) to address one of many other needs, including wide receiver and edge rusher.
Kiper said TCU’s Josh Doctson, Baylor’s Corey Coleman and Notre Dame’s Will Fuller are receivers who could be considered there. He said Boise State’s Kamalei Correa and Georgia’s Leonard Floyd are edge rushers to watch at No. 32.
But what if the Browns don’t pick a quarterback at No. 2?
Kiper discussed a scenario in which they could select a player at another position — he mentioned Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey — and then a quarterback at No. 32. He labeled Lynch, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, a Walsh Jesuit High School graduate, and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott as quarterbacks to watch early in the second round.
However, the popular opinion is the Browns will choose a quarterback at No. 2 with the team planning to cut Johnny Manziel on March 9. So all eyes will be on Goff and Wentz at the combine to see if either one can separate from the other. Unlike previous years, the top quarterbacks are expected to throw in Indianapolis during their on-field workouts Saturday.
“It’s going to be a duel between Wentz and Goff at the top spot,” Kiper said.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ