http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160416/why-the-la-rams-should-use-no-1-pick-on-carson-wentz
The LA Rams are reportedly eyeing North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz as a possible No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
By Ryan Kartje,
rkartje@ocregister.com,
@Ryan_Kartje on Twitter
POSTED: 04/16/16
North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
As any conversation about this 6-foot-5, 235-pound North Dakotan with a howitzer arm, barrel frame and the undeniable look of a franchise quarterback seems to begin these days, let us first address the Bison in the room.
Carson Wentz spent the past five years playing college football in Fargo, N.D. After starting just one season at Bismarck Century High, a late growth spurt left his recruiting profile so low that the popular online scouting services didn’t bother to make a page for him. At North Dakota State, an FCS powerhouse, Wentz didn’t start until his redshirt junior season, and he threw just 612 passes over his entire career – only 28 of which came against FBS opponent. All of these things are true.
Of course, there’s the 28-3 record and the two FCS championships in two seasons and the glowing off-the-field profile there for your consideration. But there’s no avoiding the reality of the situation. Not since 1974 has an NFL team used the top pick on a player below college football’s highest level.
As the Rams wonder whether Wentz or Cal’s Jared Goff would be best to carry a rebranded franchise on their shoulders, this lack of experience against top competition is the specter that hangs over the draft’s most intriguing quarterback prospect.
“I know a lot of people have that question,” Wentz said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “I know what I’m capable of.”
Before deciding for yourself, consider one of those 28 throws against an FBS defense. It’s 2014, Wentz’s first start, and the Bison have just crossed midfield on the road against Iowa State. Wentz drops back from under center, fakes a handoff and steps up into a clean pocket. There are some questions about his pocket presence, but at this moment, he is cool in the face of chaos. On a late read, he launches a bomb 40 yards in the air to wideout Zach Vraa, tucking it cleanly between a charging help safety and a cornerback in man coverage.
The throw is a dazzling reminder of why Wentz has risen this far, from small-school nobody to lofty Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger comparisons. “He’s got some seriously great arm talent,” said Randy Hedberg, North Dakota State’s quarterbacks coach.
• COUNTERPOINT: Why the LA Rams should use No. 1 pick on Cal’s Jared Goff
No scout will dispute that. Wentz has a cannon. Next year, his arm might immediately rank among the league’s dozen best.
His tools, from the mammoth frame to his 10-inch hands to the 4.77 40 time, suggest that a potential great quarterback can be molded from the clay. Mike Mayock of NFL Network suggested recently he could have the upside of Tom Brady or Andrew Luck. ESPN’s Jon Gruden sees him as “the most NFL-ready quarterback in years.” But for Hedberg, who has watched him develop up close, the bullish predictions go beyond Wentz’s physical tools.
At North Dakota State, Wentz called his own protections. He changed plays and used hot routes at the line of scrimmage. While Goff’s offense at Cal operated mostly out of shotgun with three- and four-wide sets, North Dakota State’s pro-style setup should mean an easier transition to the NFL for Wentz. His offense was built around a workhorse running back and play-action sets – which Wentz excelled passing and running out of – so he could prove an ideal fit for the Rams’ offensive philosophy, too.
“You watch him at North Dakota State, and you see pro-style reads, left-to-right, high-to-low progressions,” CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler said. “You see him taking 50-50 snaps under center and in shotgun. You see everything you want to see.”
Hedberg takes it a step further.
“Everybody sees his workouts and how he throws the ball,” Hedberg said, “but when you sit in with him on a meeting, he’s really going to blow you away.”
The coach points to one play, his favorite from two years with Wentz.
It’s the national semifinals in 2014, and North Dakota State is trailing with one minute remaining. Wentz catches the snap out of the shotgun, fakes a handoff, stands firm in the pocket for a beat and then uncorks a soaring spiral to the far corner of the end zone, where it falls softly into a freshman wideout’s outstretched arms. The placement is stunning.
“His poise under pressure was unbelievable,” Hedberg said. “The throw was the only possible place he could throw it. It was perfect. That’s one play I’ll never forget.”
This isn’t to say that Wentz is the perfect prospect, per se. His pocket presence is still a work in progress. His footwork will need to be cleaned up. Goff may be more accurate and ready to step in from Day 1, and plenty will question whether either is worth the king’s ransom that the Rams gave up for the No. 1 pick.
“When you’re pick No. 1, philosophically, you’re not picking for what Coach Fisher pencils in on opening day,” Rams GM Les Snead said on Thursday. “It’s really what he pencils in for the next decade.”
And that, precisely, is the principle that could lead the Rams to risk it all on the small-school, North Dakotan with the huge arm and a better-than-you-might-think chance at being the NFL’s next great gunslinger. With all their chips on the table, there’s no better gamble.
HOT READ: CARSON WENTZ
Arm strength: A cannon, with the ability to stretch the field
Accuracy: Often inconsistent, but flashes impressive touch
Speed: Deceptively fast, a serious threat to run off play action
Intelligence: Operated advanced, pro-style offense with multiple reads in college
Leadership: Coaches rave about locker room presence
