http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Scout-vs-Scout-Should-the-Rams-take-Goff-or-Wentz/8baa1661-0398-4d90-89c6-2baee8b63487

‘Scout vs. Scout’: Should the Rams take Goff or Wentz?
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks go head-to-head and debate who the Los Angeles Rams should select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Los Angeles Rams: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Rams traded up to the No. 1 pick Thursday morning. You can check out the Rams-Titans NFL Draft Trade Grades here. I’ve also posted Rams-Titans Trade Winners and Losers, including a poll where you can vote on who won in the swap.

Some of the major media people (as well as one individual who has plagiarized content off this site twice) have reported that Jared Goff will be the pick. I don’t think I’d read much into this, as every single person was also wrong about the Chiefs selecting Luke Joeckel over Eric Fisher three years ago. Based on everything I’ve heard, Carson Wentz is the favorite to be chosen No. 1 overall. It wouldn’t surprise me if Goff is the pick, but from what I’ve gathered from all of our sources, there’s a better chance Los Angeles will take Wentz. I’d put it at 65-35 right now.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jared Goff, QB, California

The 2016 NFL Draft hasn’t started yet, and it’s already crazy. The Eagles have surrendered a ton of picks to move up to No. 2. You can check out the Eagles-Browns NFL Draft Trade Grades here. I’ve also listed Eagles-Browns Trade Winners and Losers, including a poll where you can vote on who won in the deal.

I’m confused about this trade, but the one thing that is clear is that Philadelphia will be selecting a quarterback No. 2 overall. The Eagles have been linked to Wentz, but the Rams, according to our sources, like Wentz as well, so in this scenario, Philadelphia will have to settle for Goff. Howie Roseman apparently doesn’t care, as he referred to the two quarterbacks as “vanilla and chocolate.”

Pick change; previously Ezekiel Elliott, RB

Read more at http://walterfootball.com/draft2016.php#P8CckSyRKVpKIuBc.99

This says, vanilla/chocolate. Polian says, vanilla/strawberry. Who is right?

wv wrote:

Well he doesn’t seem to think either QB
is a slam-dunk.

I swear, there are so many different views
on these QBs this year. I dont remember
this much variance in the opinions on
a qb class.

w
v

My theory is that there really isn’t a lot of difference between the top 4 QBs, but there is a lot of difference between the order that they are rated.

Now we can watch Lynch zoom up the draft boards. 😉

http://www.thehuddlereport.com/archive/2016profiles

Carson Wentz QB North Dakota St

STRENGTHS
Carson has excellent accuracy to go along with a strong arm. He can make all the throws with terrific velocity, accuracy, and touch. For a tall player, he has a good and quick release. Carson has the athletic talent to throw on the move and slide in the pocket to extend plays. Overall, Carson has the arm talent you look for in a starting quarterback in the NFL. He has good athleticism, size, and arm strength, as well as the ability to throw with accuracy under duress. Carson reminds me of the Falcons’ Matt Ryan and, with the correct development and coaching, could become a winning and starting quarterback for the team that selects him.

CONCERNS
Carson is the whole offense for his college team and physically he is up to that challenge, but mentally he lacks the true leadership skills that he will need at the next level to be successful. What is it that Carson lacks you ask? He lacks the ability to demand more from his teammates on the field. Carson might be too nice of a person. He also does what all quarterbacks coming out of college do: stares down receivers, doesn’t consistently look off defensive backs, and struggles to slide in the pocket, reset and make a throw without being on the run. He can learn to overcome all the physical concerns, but as far as being too nice and not demanding of others, as long as he is winning this is not a problem. However, his team starts to lose a lot and in bunches, it becomes a big issue.

TALENT BOARD: ROUND 2
Carson is a developmental quarterback whose talent suggests that drafting him in the 1st round might be a very smart move in spite of the fact I give him a 2nd round talent grade. Selecting a quarterback with Carson’s potential in the 1st round is no longer a costly process and allows a team to have a 5th year option that would not apply if he is selected in a later round. Carson may always try to do too much instead of getting in the face of his teammates and demanding more from them, but that doesn’t mean he can’t change and become more demanding, it just means that’s the big question mark for him to overcome to become successful. Like I said, he needs to learn more about how to play his position at the NFL level because of the level of competition, but make no mistake about it, this kid has the physical and mental talent and work ethic to be successful. He must become a coach on the field who demands better play from his teammates and not settle for just trying to make his play the best. I have this saying that most people think is horrible and makes me a horrible person. It is that “I want everyone to like me, but when it comes to doing my job, I really don’t give a damn.” I think Carson needs to have that type of attitude to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL. Given time he could develop a nastier attitude, but most of the time, a person is what they are and expecting more than what they are might be expecting too much. He might not be a franchise quarterback, but he should be a very good quarterback with the potential to be a franchise quarterback if he can learn to be more of a coach on the field.

Drew Boylhart JAN.2016

—————————————————————————————————

Jared Goff QB California

STRENGTHS
Jared is another quarterback who has improved in every game I have seen him in this year. He has excellent arm talent to make all the throws with touch when needed along with accuracy and velocity that is expected from a top quarterback for the next level. Jared has a very quick release plus quick feet that help him to set up quickly and keep his balance to execute with outstanding accuracy when he throws the ball. He plays with a healthy fear of personal failure that drives him to succeed and improve. He is demanding of the players around him and because of his accuracy and football intelligence, has the respect of his teammates on the field. Jared gets rid of the ball quickly because he is able to read defenses at the college level and look for mismatches in the passing game. He obviously patterns and copies his set ups and drops (from under center) on Peyton Manning’s style and in doing so, has improved dramatically from the first game of this season to the last bowl game. Jared has franchise talent and potential.

CONCERNS
Jared struggles when working from a muddled pocket and under duress. He fights it and has improved this year by setting up quicker and making better decisions in his pre-snap reads. The problem is these improvements have only accomplished making sure he doesn’t work from a muddled pocket — it doesn’t improve his ability to work from one. His leadership will depend on how well he can deal with this issue at the next level. He must continue to improve in reading defenses and understanding how to use the running game to keep the pressure off him. No matter what he does, at some point he will have to stand tall and prove he can play from a collapsed pocket.

TALENT BOARD ROUND: 1
How well any quarterback handles adversity during a game is the key to being a successful quarterback in the NFL, providing they have the talent. Whether or not a QB can adjust mentally and physically when defenses are game planning to take away the best plays and players, decides your success in winning. When everything is going right, Jared is one of the best. When things start to break down Jared does adjust, but this fear of failure will haunt him at times. He needs to avoid panic in adverse situation or, at the NFL level, this will lead to magnified mistakes. He needs to mature and accept his play when it’s bad — turn the page and improve just like a cornerback who gets burned on the deep pass needs to do. Jared has the talent to be exceptional. His accuracy passing the ball is outstanding. The fact he has been improving and adapting his game to address his lack of ability to work from the pocket under duress and extend plays is impressive, but the truth is he hasn’t improved on that weakness; he has just been able to mask it. At the next level, no matter how quickly he gets rid of the ball, the pocket will become muddled and he has to learn to stand tall, deliver, get hit and come back for more. I think he can do it. In fact, I would bet on it. Jared has big time talent, football intelligence and just enough fear of failure to become the quarterback his talents suggest that he can become. He has the potential to be a franchise quarterback.

Drew Boylhart JAN.2016

Rams have agreed to terms with RB Chase Reynolds on a 1-year deal. He's one of their top special teams players.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) April 18, 2016

Reynolds was not tendered as a restricted free agent, but had drawn interest from a few teams, including Oakland.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) April 18, 2016

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/thomas-on-football-sizing-up-qbs-wentz-and-goff/article_aa351b12-816a-5c51-b422-f842c079f237.html

Thomas on football: Sizing up QBs Wentz and Goff
By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Apr 16, 2016 (1)

For the second year in a row, it looks like quarterbacks will go first and second in the NFL draft, thanks to the Rams’ bold and risky trade up to No. 1 overall.

But will it be Carson Wentz of North Dakota State going No. 1 overall? Or California’s Jared Goff?

Interestingly, the edge among most draft analysts seems to go to Wentz as the best QB in the draft. But in the immediate aftermath of the trade, the Rams seem to be dropping hints that they’re leaning toward Goff. If that turns out to be the case, that leaves Wentz at No. 2 overall for Cleveland — or anyone who might trade up to that spot.

“Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who personally gives a slight edge to Wentz in his quarterback ratings.

“The skill-sets are different, the personalities are different, the backgrounds are different, the competition’s different,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “And that’s what makes it such a challenge.”

Wentz is a bigger, thicker prospect at over 6 feet 5 and nearly 240 pounds. Even though Goff bulked up during his pre-draft training, he remains a thin 215 pounds at 6-4. Remember, too, he’s the guy with the small hands, which in theory can lead to more fumbles.

Goff inherited a horrible program at Cal and helped bring it back to respectability with eight victories in 2015. Wentz stepped into an FCS powerhouse and helped keep it going, leading the Bison to their fourth and fifth national championships in a row during his two seasons as a starter.

Goff played in the high-powered Pacific-12 Conference, starting 37 games and setting 30 school records at Cal. Wentz had only 23 college starts, missing eight games last season with a broken wrist. NFL draft guru Gil Brandt is among those who feel that at least 30 college starts is preferred for an incoming NFL quarterback, so lack of starting experience is a minus for Wentz.

Goff has quicker feet in the pocket, but Wentz is more athletic and has more scrambling ability. He ran 4.7s in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is moving well for someone his size at his position.

Wentz has the stronger arm but some feel Goff is more natural in the pocket. Wentz played in a pro-style offense and has plenty of experience under center; Goff played in an air-raid offense at Cal, a spread system in the shotgun.

So mull all that over and make a multi-million dollar decision.

“Wentz is a big, physical guy,” said Rick Venturi, the former Rams assistant coach who now works the media side as an NFL draft analyst based in Indianapolis. “He reminds me of Andrew Luck, only from Dakota. Andrew had better numbers in the overall workout (coming out), but they’re not substantially better. This is a big-old kid that can get out of trouble.”

But what about the level of competition? Wentz had only one start against major-college competition — versus Iowa State. So the Senior Bowl was a big stage for Wentz, an opportunity to display his wares surrounded by major-college talent.

“Everything I saw on film was confirmed at the Senior Bowl,” said Russ Lande, the former Rams scout who now doubles as an NFL draft analyst and is college scouting director for the CFL’s Montreal Alouetttes.

“I love Wentz,” Lande said. “I think he’s got every tool you could ever ask for. Obviously, if he played at a Michigan or USC you’d feel even better about it. Does a great job playing within a traditional offense. He lines up under center a ton. This kid’s got all the tools to be a frontline starter.”

Even though he played at a lower level of college football, because of that experience playing in a pro-style offense Wentz could be more NFL-ready than Goff.

And as McShay points out, “No one, starting with Tim Couch, no one has come from that (spread) system and had sustained success in the NFL.”

Which is food for thought in considering Goff. But the California offense did incorporate some West Coast principles, which could ease his transition into the NFL in terms of quick decision-making and accurate short and intermediate throws.

“Goff may not be as purely gifted in terms of size and athleticism,” Lande said. “But I think as a quarterback he’s a little bit more naturally instinctive in terms of pocket presence, avoiding the rush.”

No matter who the Rams take, Cleveland is expected to take a quarterback at No. 2 overall, even after signing former No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III earlier this offseason.

“It’s going to be fascinating to watch what goes down in Cleveland,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “The quarterback position hasn’t been solved in so long, why not give yourself another shot at it?”

In other words, draft either Goff or Wentz — whoever’s available after the Rams pick — and bring him in to compete with RGIII for the starting job.

“So you’ve got RGIII, who I believe is only 26, and you draft one at No. 2 in this draft, and man, you increase your chances that you’ve got yourself a quarterback going forward,” Jeremiah said.

The theory seems sound. But you never know with the Browns.

http://gbnreport.com/
April 18, 2016 – 10:07 am

Ten days to go until draft … Hard to believe there are just ten days to go until the start of the 2016 draft. In fact, this is the last week in which teams can have out of town prospects in for for on-site visits with the Thursday the actual final day for such visits. and while nobody really believes Los Angeles haven’t yet decided on which player they will select with the newly-acquired #1 pick overall – no one is going to trade the passel of picks the Rams gave Tennessee for the top pick if they don’t know who they want – the Rams will have both Carson Wentz of North Dakota State and Cal’s Jared Goff, the two top-rated passers in this year’s draft, in for visits this week. More likely the Rams are just milking having the top pick for as much publicity as they can get having just moved back to Los Angeles and plan to keep up the suspense until they actually get on the clock next Thursday. Meanwhile, the most curious move of the week was the fact that Dallas owner/GM Jerry Jones and a contingent of Cowboy’s officials including head coach Jason Garrett were in California over the weekend working out Goff. For the record that it is the second time Jones and the Cowboys have gone west to work out Goff which in itself is almost unprecedented that a team works out a guy twice. The timing is also curious in that the trip appears to have been rather spontaneous after LA made the deal with Tennessee presumably to take Wentz. Also for the record, while neither Jones nor anyone else in the Cowboys’ organization commented publicly on Goff’s workout, the rumor mill suggests they came away impressed. So what’s up with the Cowboys. Who knows at this point! It could just be Jerry Jones being Jerry Jones or the Cowboys doing some final due diligence just in case Cleveland passes on Goff with the 2nd pick and he’s still there at #4. But that’s a lot of due diligence! It is also hard to imagine the Cowboys would even consider moving up a couple of spots to take Goff with Tony Romo still around, but Cleveland is believed to be wavering o taking him themselves and there are teams like the 49ers and Eagles out there believed to be also interested in Goff. As the old proverb says: may you live in interesting times! Have a great day!

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/04/12/jared-goff-california-film-study-nfl-draft
Andy Benoit
Tue Apr. 12, 2016
Inside the Film Room With… Jared Goff

While he was on the wrong side of the scoreboard, the Cal quarterback showed the subtleties and savvy of a future franchise QB during last season’s loss at Stanford. Just weeks before the draft, he broke down the game film for The MMQB
The Film Room: Jared Goff

The MMQB’s Andy Benoit sits down with Cal quarterback Jared Goff before the NFL draft to break down his college film.

This is Andy Benoit’w Goff article that is mentioned in the podcast. He is going to do one on Wentz, too. Lot’s of graphics at the link. Besides this article is a bit long. imo

Bill Polian: Trade was a slam dunk for Rams

http://www.thehuddlereport.com/archive/2016profiles/

This takes you to an archive of profiles

The Rams might draft Peak or somebody else on the list. There are about 80 profiles there.

Greg Zuerlein Re-Signs with Rams: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Greg Zuerlein Re-Signs with Rams: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
By Tim Daniels , Featured Columnist Apr 15, 2016

The Los Angeles Rams reached an agreement Friday with kicker Greg Zuerlein on a new one-year contract, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The deal has a base value of $1.25 million with $675,000 guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Rand Getlin. The maximum value Zuerlein can earn from the new pact is $3.3 million.

Zuerlein was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2012. He’s displayed an impressive leg across his first four seasons in the NFL, connecting on 16 field-goal attempts from beyond 50 yards, but accuracy is a serious concern.

The 28-year-old kicker made 93 percent of his field goals in 2013. He has failed to convert on more than 80 percent of his attempts in any of the other three seasons, however. And his success rate dropped to a career-low 67 percent last season.

Nate Latsch of Scout showcased an interesting trend that illustrated the wide gap between Zuerlein’s performance depending on the half:

Interesting Greg Zuerlein splits from this season. Huge difference between first and second half success. #Rams pic.twitter.com/2lLcMuS3Hw

— Nate Latsch (@NateLatsch) January 4, 2016

So not only was “Legatron” hitting his field goals at a subpar clip, but most of the misses also came in the more crucial second half.

After the season ended, he admitted his performance wasn’t good enough, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

Obviously, the production hasn’t been where it needs to be. So that’s something that I can’t control right now. I had my opportunities, I just didn’t do as good as I would have liked so now we’ll just see what happens.

Any time you go out there and miss kicks, you are not going to be happy about it. I think I’ve got to get better and convert those kicks. Really, that’s all it comes down to is making kicks, and I didn’t make as many as I would have liked.

Unfortunately for Zuerlein, the struggles impacted him during the final year of his contract, which sent him into free agency on a low note.

He decided going back to the Rams was his best bet. It’s the landing spot where he could receive the most leeway since the coaching staff witnessed his prior success, but he’ll still likely need to win a training camp battle to earn the starting job.

It’s a worthwhile re-signing for Los Angeles. Even though Zuerlein failed to deliver last season, his strong leg gives him the ability to emerge as one of the league’s most valuable kickers once again if his success rate can at least get into the mid-80s.

Kicker is one of the positions that’s rarely discussed unless it’s a problem. Zuerlein’s struggles were an issue for the Rams last year, but he now hopes to reverse that trend in 2016.