Isiah58 wrote:

Hopefully what remains is a QB that can play, and can dispel the need that the Rams need to find a quarterback for the next ten years.

Yeah for me this is all about the next decade or more. It makes the entire critter a different critter.

BENOIT: The Rams are built to be a run-based team.

For now. The fallacy here is that they won’t evolve with Goff. This idea that Fisher is ALWAYS run-heavy is just completely belied by his history. The Rams have been at the upper end of passing percentages for a balanced team.

Which is a mouthful so what I mean is, they have been a balanced as opposed to run-heavy team. And they have been at the upper end of throwing percentages among balanced teams.

Heck who knows there may come a time when they becomes something of a pass-heavy team. That just depends on how far Goff advances and how soon. If it serves their interests, Goff can do it, and it’s working, I would not rule it out.

I like Benoit but he has never done deep study of the Rams, I think.

.

LA Rams HC Jeff Fisher & GM Les Snead – 1st Draft Press Conference – April 28, 2016

(Opening Comments)

FISHER: “We have been waiting for this moment for some time now since the trade. We are excited to have you all here and are really excited to talk about [Rams first-round pick QB] Jared [Goff]. A lot of work has gone into this decision and your questions are probably, ‘How long have you known?’ And we have probably known for a little while. As you know we have had both Jared and Carson [Wentz] and I spent a lot of time with both of them. We came away after they both left knowing that both would be extraordinary quarterbacks in this league and just felt really good about being in the position to be where we got to choose one of them. We spent a lot of time and we faeel like Jared is our guy. So this is a, I don’t want to say this historic, maybe monumental, but this is a big deal for this franchise to be in a position to where we can have our pick of a franchise quarterback and look forward to years to come with a player that is not only talented, but he is a great person. He is a competitor, he’s a leader, he does all those things. We are going to wish Carson the best and we are going to look forward to our future here with Jared eventually becoming our starting quarterback.”

SNEAD: “I think I’ll add that our vision started with [Owner/Chairman] Stan [Kroenke] at the top, [C.O.O/Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Kevin [Demoff], and Jeff. We didn’t want to just come home, we wanted to come home and contend and contend consistently. I think this might have all started, if you look at our last four years, we have gone from bad to competitive. We have done it with the youngest team in football for the last four years and it was helped a little bit because we kind of did a little reverse. We were on the other side of the coin a few years ago and we got a lot of picks and were able to build a strong core and we were competitive with instability at QB. I give Coach Fisher, his staff, and all those players that have been busting their tail for the last four years or three or two, and that are up at Oxnard now busting their tail for being competitive. Like Coach, said it goes without saying and has been said many ways, QB’s are a key ingredient if you want to contend consistently. Like Coach said, we ID Jared and once we did, we wanted to figure out a way to go get him. I think we had the ammo to do it from a couple of trades and just working the system and that’s what we did. Jared is going to be a key ingredient, but I think those players that I just mentioned and Jeff and his staff are one of the reasons that this was the right thing to do at the right time for us.”

(On some of the things that separated Jared Goff from Carson Wentz)

FISHER: “Well I’m going to talk about Jared. I don’t think we necessarily need to compare him to Carson, but Jared has a skill set that is special. He sees. He’s got a quick release. He understands the quarterback position, he’s going to get rid of the football, and he is extremely competitive. Once you look at his body of work in the red zone, we call it the scoring area, it is impressive. He is going to keep drives alive, he understands, nothing is too big for him, and he is just really exciting. He walks into the locker room and he fits in and it’s his job. Now when that takes place, I can’t tell you. We still have three quality quarterbacks on our roster right now, but he is the quarterback of our future.”

(On what separates Goff from any other quarterbacks)

FISHER: “Well we have had the opportunity over the last two years that we have looked at the quarterbacks. We have done privates and we think Jared has the skill set to be a difference maker at the position. From arm strength to mobility, all those qualities, he’s a difference maker.

(On seeing Goff’s experience turning the Cal program around after a 1-11 start his first year and how it manifested in his personality)

SNEAD: “Well it’s interesting, that is a good question because he became the face of Cal at an early age, 18. He went 1-11, but once you were able to watch him that first year and then go through sophomore then junior, you definitely saw progression not only in his play, but in the play of others. You saw them progress as a team and I guess it consummated with that first bowl game in a while this year. It’s interesting you look at that tem… now this draft is going to occur and they’re going to have some guys get drafted, but starting back with Jared’s freshman year in 2014, there were two players drafted, in 2015 there were no players drafted. Those two years, Cal and Colorado were probably the teams with the least amount of players drafted. I think Stanford lead the Pac-12. You could see that yes, I don’t want to call it playing on a team that was a little undermanned in the Pac-12 and they progressed over the years, but I do think being able to go through 1-11 as kind of the face of Cal and to bounce back and put the thing on his back and get to a bowl is similar to what you are probably going to have to go through in the NFL although we aren’t planning on going 1-11.”

(On if there is an intangible that was seen in Goff to handle playing in this kind of marketplace)

FISHER: “You know he is the kind of guy who is going to come into work every day and is going to deal with whatever he needs to deal with. He is going to come to work and he knows about priorities and so when you say pressure, we’re not putting any pressure on him. There is a lot of undue pressure that is placed on a quarterback on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday during the work week in addition to Sunday and we’re not going to put that pressure on him. We are going to take that away and we are going to protect him and allow him just to play because that’s what he is, he’s a quarterback, he’s a football player. He’s going to embrace this opportunity. He’s got the personality to embrace the market, he’s got the personality to be one of those faces of the franchise, but he also understands that it’s not up to him, it’s collectively up to the rest of the team.”

SNEAD: “When we called him tonight, the first thing he said was ‘How’s it going Les’ so that was what he said to me. So, that kind of shows you he is calm, cool in the midst of being the first pick.

(On Fisher not looking happy)

FISHER: “I don’t look happy? (Laughs)”

SNEAD: “He never looks happy, you’ve seen that scowl.” (Laughs)

FISHER: “I am so excited. You should have seen us in the room there, did you see it? I’m happy, are you kidding me? We just drafted a franchise quarterback with the first pick in the draft. I’m trying to contain myself right now. It’s a great opportunity for this franchise, all the work that has been done by everybody it’s just going to be fun. You will get the chance to meet him tomorrow in person and you will be very impressed with him.”

(On what has been seen in Goff coming from an air raid offense in college)

SNEAD: “If you look at his college, I think there is a natural instinct to anticipate, to get the ball out quickly, to read coverages quickly, get to the second and third reads. People who can do it as fast as he can, I don’t want to say you are born with it, but mom, dad, God, somehow there is a DNA that comes natural. Whether you are an air raid or however we are going to name it, I think you kind of notice that in players, whether they have that special quality or not.”

(On how soon before the combine did they identify Goff as a player they wanted to make a move for)

FISHER: “Both started there. Les did a great job staying in touch with Tennessee. As we started evaluating players, we knew that if we could find a way to get this done, we knew we would get a really good player here. We probably made our mind up a couple of weeks ago on which one, but it’s an ongoing process.”

SNEAD: “We did schedule private workouts with him relatively earlier, I don’t know the exact [time], but probably about a week after the combine we narrowed it down to two if we were going to move up. We went to see them relatively soon.”

(On why the team didn’t announce the first pick earlier in the process)

FISHER: “It’s an organizational philosophy, it’s what we do. People work really hard and you never know what’s going to come up or what’s going to happen. We just felt like he was the right guy. So once you identify the player, then you have to do the due diligence that gives you the reassurance that he is the right guy. We wanted time to make sure that that was the case and it worked out.”

SNEAD: “And then they were throwing the rock at the PLAY 60 event yesterday, so we wanted to make sure that they got through that unscathed. I texted the agents to tell them that they could quit throwing now.”

(On how they expect Goff to work out)

FISHER: “He is going to work out the way we expect him to work out. We have a running game, we’ve got a good offensive line, a good defense, and those are the ingredients that contribute to allowing the quarterback to be successful.”

(On not announcing that Goff is going to be the starter from Day 1 like other teams have done in the past)

FISHER: “Well everybody is different. Jameis [Winston] is different than the next quarterback. We have always had the philosophy that we are going to play them when we think they are ready. We aren’t going to subject them to fail, so whenever that is you are going to see him under center. We aren’t going to come out Day 1 and announce that he is a starter. It’s going to happen pretty soon, sooner than probably later. We have some things to do coaching wise, he’s got to learn our offense, he’s got to get to know his teammates, get in sync with his receivers. So when that happens, I don’t know, but that has always been our philosophy.”

(On the comparisons between Goff and any other quarterbacks)

FISHER: “That’s a good question. Over the years I have tried not to draw comparisons from one player to the next. He’s unique, and I’m hoping that at some point along the way that someone will draw the comparison to Jared Goff.”

(On how much they talked to Goff about what’s ahead for the franchise beyond football)

SNEAD: “It was interesting is when we had him in on the top 30, I think both Jeff and I probably spent close to an hour with Jared. When Jared came to me after Jeff, and I’ll let Jeff tell you, was that Jared was sharing to me that that’s what Coach spent a lot of time doing, not just relocation issues, but life in the NFL as a rookie quarterback. I think you could tell when I was chatting with Jared that whether he was going to be a Ram or not. He was like ‘Wow I learned something today, I got insight today, and that was pretty cool him sharing that with me. I think you probably spent an hour not quizzing him, but coaching him, that’s what you do.”

FISHER: “He was curious about the quarterbacks that I have had the opportunities to coach over the years, and he wanted to know. He’s that deep thinker type. Again I’ll just reassure you that there is nothing too big for Jared; it’s football. It’s early in the morning until whatever time he has to put in, he’s going to be there. He’s going to get it done. He is going to handle everything that he has to handle. What he wants to do is win games and we are going to equip him to do that.”

(On when exactly Goff was told that he was going to be the first pick and what was his reaction) FISHER: “I kind of addressed it subtly via text during the week. I don’t know when he got it. You will have to ask him, but it was, ‘Travel safe, enjoy the experience in Chicago, you earned it.’ Then I asked him earlier today if he had any plans for tonight and he said, ‘No, I don’t have anything going,’ so I said, ‘Good, maybe we’ll talk later.’

(On Goff getting threatened to be fined if the word got out that he was the No. 1 pick)

FISHER: “I did not. He gets it, he gets it believe me.”

(On what they have learned from Sam Bradford in terms of supporting a franchise quarterback and if they feel comfortable with what they have right now around Goff)

SNEAD: “Definitely. Anytime something doesn’t work out, the best thing you can do is look back and see what might have gone wrong and learn from it. Whatever you learned from it, you definitely apply to the next situation, and that’s probably how you get better and that’s how you innovate. I think, yes, as Jeff mentioned, probably to both QB’s when they left the building, don’t worry about throwing the ball, you have to learn to turn around and hand it to 30 [RB Todd Gurley]. I think what we have done the last few years is try to address the

, let that thing evolve and let those guys grow together, become that basketball team, and not just a bunch of individuals. The running back helps, we have a nice weapon in [WR] Tavon [Austin]; we’ve got [TE] Lance Kendricks, and are expecting big things out of him. Yes, you’d love to keep adding to the offense. [Offensive Coordinator Coach Boras] is in the back, I’m sure he would love to as well, and we will keep trying to get that thing better and keep putting weapons and solid players around him.”

(On if they’ve had a chance to talk to any of the current players about the draft)

FISHER: “I have not had specific conversations with them, but we have gotten feedback. They’re really really excited. They are extremely excited about the trade. They have a sense for what it takes. Most of them were very excited about it, we will see next week and as we move through the offseason program they are going to understand why we made this decision.”

(On what he would consider at the end of the season as a success with the No. 1 pick)

FISHER: “I have never been one to predict. If I were to say I expect us to go 12-4, then what would I tell the players about the other four? So I’m not going to make a prediction from a win/loss standpoint. I will tell you that this team is getting better. This team is competitive. I think you all understand if you have followed what we have done over the past three or four years is this team is competing in the division and we are very, very close. So I would expect this team to get better.”

(On the expectations of Goff being the star of the team)

FISHER: “He may start the opener on Monday night, we don’t know, but that’s the goal. If he doesn’t, as it stands right now, [QB] Case [Keenum] will do it, and Case has won games for us. We understand the environment, believe me. He does too. We have had lengthy conversations about it. If I had concerns about Jared being able to handle this then we probably wouldn’t be talking about Jared right now. He can handle it, when he steps under center? I can’t tell you.”

SNEAD: “We will do what’s right to develop him so he’s ready when he goes on the field on Sunday. I don’t know how you go about giving the guys the stars on that sidewalk, but I have a feeling that they did something to earn it, and I think in sports you earn the star, the billboard, or whatever it is. In our league on Sunday afternoons, Thursday nights, or Monday nights, our goal is to get him ready to be successful on those days.”

Rams are confident Jared Goff is the right choice

Gary Klein

link: http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-rams-draft-goff-20160429-story.html#nt=oft02a-1la1

He had just finished an appearance on stage with the NFL commissioner and more than two hours of scrambling to interviews, teleconferences, photo shoots and autograph signings.

Alone in a quiet room off a hallway in Auditorium Theatre, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft lifted a Los Angeles Rams cap off his head and finally exhaled after demonstrating that a quarterback known as a pocket passer could maintain his poise on the run.

“I can move around a little bit, apparently,” Jared Goff said, chuckling.

The Rams, making their first pick as a Los Angeles franchise in more than two decades, on Thursday selected the 21-year-old Goff to be their quarterback of the future.

An organization that made a splash by trading up the top of the draft sounded like it believed it did it again by selecting Goff.

“We didn’t want to just come home, we wanted to come home and contend — and contend consistently,” General Manager Les Snead said during a news conference in Los Angeles, adding, “This was the right thing to do at the right time for us.”

Goff, 6 feet 4 and 215 pounds, was a three-year starter at California and he is expected to compete for the Rams’ starting job immediately. Coach Jeff Fisher did not rule out the possibility of Goff starting the season opener on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.

“We feel like Jared is our guy,” Fisher said in Los Angeles, adding that it was “historic, monumental.”

NFL draft first round: Rams pick Jared Goff, Laremy Tunsil has wild night and Myles Jack remains undrafted
Goff became the second quarterback in seven years to be selected No. 1 by the Rams. They took Sam Bradford with the top pick in 2010.

Speculation about who the Rams would choose raged for two weeks after they worked a deal with the Tennessee Titans that enabled them to move from No.15 to the top of the draft.

Would they take Goff or Carson Wentz, the North Dakota State quarterback who helped lead his team to two Football Championship Subdivision titles?

Goff said he did not know that the Rams would select him until Snead and Fisher called him a few minutes before Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick.

“‘You ready to be an L.A. Ram?’” he said they asked.

His answer: “Absolutely.”

But Goff, who grew up in Novato in Northern California, was regarded as the favorite to be the Rams’ choice in the days leading up the draft. Fisher said he addressed the possibility with Goff “subtly” via text message earlier in the week.

“It was, ‘Travel safe, enjoy the experience in Chicago, you earned it,’” Fisher said. “Asked him if he had any plans tonight, [Goff] said, ‘No, have nothing going.’ I said, ‘Good, we’ll talk later.’”

Goff seemed to take it all in stride Thursday, from the moment he hit the red carpet with his mother on his way into the auditorium, to the time he exited into a car waiting outside the building.

The blond-haired Goff was dapperly dressed in a dark navy suit, white shirt, a navy tie flecked with a gold pattern and a white pocket handkerchief. He looked the part of a quarterback headed to star-driven Los Angeles and the NFL’s second largest market.

Not surprisingly, his color palette was close to the Rams’. “I had a few different options but, you know, the navy blue with the gold dots was a little fitting,” he said.

Snead’s wife, former NFL Network reporter Kara Henderson, said at a rally at L.A. Live that Goff looked like actor Ryan Gosling.

“I’ve heard that,” Goff said later, grinning and shaking his head. “It’s a good guy to be compared to, I guess.”

What will $500 million get you in Vegas? Raiders owner Mark Davis hopes it’s a home for his team
Goff said he planned to make a name of his own for a team that has not had been to the playoffs since 2004 and has not had a winning record since 2003.

Case Keenum was the presumptive starting quarterback heading into off-season workouts and Nick Foles and Sean Mannion are other quarterbacks on the roster.

Goff said he planned to learn from the veterans and work hard to gain teammates’ respect. The decision about where he fits will be up to the coaches, he said.

He will travel to Los Angeles on Friday and cannot wait to get his hands on a playbook as the Rams prepare for their first season in Southern California since 1994.

“It’s exciting for the fan base and exciting for the city and something I’m ready to step into and take control of,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m going to go in there and work as hard as I can and be the best teammate I can be and be the best leader I can be.”

Goff planned to enjoy a celebratory dinner with family and friends late Thursday night. He said the reality of what had just transpired would not sink in until he was about to fall asleep.

“Probably then, I’ll be like, ‘All right, this is real,’” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Rams start 2016 NFL draft by picking Jared Goff over Carson Wentz

Frank Schwab

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/rams-start-2016-nfl-draft-by-picking-jared-goff-over-carson-wentz-001559196.html

The Rams will begin their second stint in Los Angeles with Goff as their quarterback of the future. They made him the first pick of the draft on Thursday night, choosing him over Wentz. The team made good on its promise and kept the pick mostly a secret right up until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell read the name. There have been plenty of speculative reports leading up to the draft that the pick would be Goff, and that became official shortly after 7 p.m. Chicago time. The Rams couldn’t go into this season in star-studded Los Angeles with Case Keenum at quarterback, and now they have Goff as a cornerstone.

With Goff off the board, the Philadelphia Eagles surprised nobody and picked Wentz second overall. Quarterbacks did not go 1-2 in the NFL draft from 1999-2012, and now it has happened three times in the past five drafts.

Why did the Rams go with Goff over Wentz? None of these decisions come down to one single reason, and there were good arguments for both players, but clearly the Rams felt more comfortable taking Goff at No. 1 after giving up a surprising amount of picks in a trade with the Tennessee Titans to move up to the top spot. It could come down to the comfort level of picking a player from Cal versus picking one from North Dakota State.

Don’t expect to hear that reason in any press conference, because there’s no need for the Rams to downgrade Wentz. But when you give up two first-round, two second-round and two third-round picks to move up to No. 1, it’s scary to then take someone who quarterbacked in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last time a player from a non-FBS school was taken first overall was Ed “Too Tall” Jones in 1974. The Rams, in many ways, went the safe route with Goff.

There’s more to it than where the two quarterbacks played. Many people questioned Wentz in the buildup to the draft, believing he is a project who will need a lot of work. There are questions about Goff too, most notably how he’ll transition from a spread “Air Raid” offense at Cal to a conventional offense in the NFL. There are also questions about Goff’s 14-23 record at Cal, which is the worst ever for a quarterback taken No. 1 since the common draft started in 1967, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Football is a team game and a quarterback doesn’t control his record by himself, but it’s still another question about Goff. There are plenty of positives with Goff as well, like his accuracy and touch from the pocket. The Rams clearly think he can be a star, based on what they gave up to take him.

The Eagles moved up to No. 2 last week in a big trade with the Cleveland Browns, and were stuck waiting to see which quarterback the Rams would take first. Getting Wentz isn’t a bad second option. He’s big, ran a lot of NFL concepts in the North Dakota State offense, and many feel he was the best quarterback in this draft. The Eagles have been looking for a franchise quarterback since Donovan McNabb, and Wentz gives them a shot for one.

The picks are made and the teams have to live with the results. The Rams move into a new Los Angeles era with Goff, and not Wentz, as their quarterback. The Rams better hope that’s not a mistake. They’ll hear about it for a long, long time if it was.”

===

NY Times (Goff excerpt)

CHICAGO — “The Los Angeles Rams chose quarterback Jared Goff of California with the first overall pick in the N.F.L. draft, the latest move by a team trying to re-establish itself in Southern California after two decades in St. Louis.

Eager to make a splash in their new home and revive their fading fortunes, the Rams traded a passel of draft picks to acquire the top overall selection from the Tennessee Titans. Without a strong quarterback on their roster, the Rams opted for Goff, widely considered one of the top prospects at that position in the draft.

The Rams have not had a winning season since 2003, and they are eager to begin their second tenure in Southern California, where they played from 1946 to 1994, by becoming competitive in the N.F.C. West, one of the toughest divisions in the N.F.L.

The Rams are betting that Goff, one of 96 underclassmen to enter the draft this year, can make the jump to the N.F.L. He threw for 4,719 yards, 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year in the competitive Pacific-12 Conference. His strong arm and quick release should help him reach the Rams’ collection of middling receivers.

“I’m going to prove them right, let them know they made the right decision,” Goff said.

Many of the picks in the first round were not surprises, although Ohio State dominated, with five of its players taken in the first 20 picks.

Goff’s selection continues a trend toward teams focusing more on their passing game with their top picks. He was the 14th quarterback chosen first over all in the past 19 years. Goff was also the latest underclassman to be chosen first over all, following the likes of Matthew Stafford (2009), Sam Bradford (2010), Andrew Luck (2012) and Jadeveon Clowney (2014).

Last season, quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were chosen first and second over all in the draft.

In some ways, the Rams mortgaged the future for Goff, who will begin his career playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for three seasons until the owner E. Stanley Kroenke completes a nearly $3 billion stadium and retail complex in nearby Inglewood.

The Titans sent their picks from the first, fourth and sixth rounds this year to the Rams. In return, they received the Rams’ first-round pick, their two second-round picks and a third-round pick this year, and their first- and third-round picks next year.

By selecting Goff, the Rams cleared the way for the Philadelphia Eagles, who engineered their own blockbuster trade, to pick a top quarterback of their own.”

===

Mayock’s pick-by-pick analysis (instant reaction)

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000656619/article/mike-mayocks-2016-nfl-draft-pickbypick-analysis

1. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff, QB, Cal

“He fits what they do. He can play on Day 1. The Rams have a strong running game and stout defense. That minimizes what he has to think about. Goff has a very quick release and gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He has innate pocket awareness, which is so critical at the NFL level.”

===

ESPN

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15386713/nfl-draft-2016-results-tracker-analysis-picks-live-order

“What he brings: Goff is an experienced three-year starter who is one of the most natural passers in this class. He has excellent pocket presence and feels pressure naturally to buy time while going through progressions. Goff shows quality accuracy and touch with the ability to deliver from an uneven platform. He has added weight and that eases concerns about his durability. He might need time adjusting to an NFL playbook coming from a wide-open system. He is one of the top two quarterbacks in this class and has the tools and acumen to develop into an above-average starter.”

PA Ram wrote:

Yes–the Rams will have to give him some skill players–some wide receivers. But once he has those weapons–look out.

We may have more of that already than it looked like last year. Not that they don’t need a WR but still, there may be more on hand than it looked like there was.

I see this kind of thing around a lot, from guys who watch the coach’s 22 replays:

—

RustyRay

The lame QB play has hurt all the Rams WRs…they have guys open, they have people running wide open at times…its time for them to find a qb that can digest that, see it and throw it…once that happens I think we will have a better appreciation for what they really have outside

Get NFL rewind and watch the coaches tape.

Rams have open WRs…. They dont and havent had a person to deliver…are they always open? Nope…do they get open enough? Yep.

I'm so honored to be heading to the Blue & Gold. It's time for a new era of football in LA, @TideNFL #OurColors #ad pic.twitter.com/iKbUUPY3QL

— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) April 29, 2016

==

Broncos inquired on Bradford; Eagles not inclined to trade

http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/56149/Broncos-inquired-on-Bradford–Eagles-not-inclined-to-trade/Default.aspx

The Eagles are not inclined to trade their presumptive starting quarterback Sam Bradford despite receiving a preliminary call from the Denver Broncos this week, Conor Orr of NFL.com reports.

Per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Broncos called the Eagles for a very basic discussion about Bradford. No compensation was discussed, and the main takeaway was that Philadelphia wants to hold on to the former No. 1 overall pick. This, coming hours after an ESPN report that said the 49ers have not had any internal discussions about acquiring Bradford.

Jared Goff or Carson Wentz? NFL Insiders cast votes for the draft’s top QB

By ESPN NFL INSIDERS via ESPN Apr 25, 2016, 8:35 AM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/jared-goff-carson-wentz-nfl-insiders-cast-votes/story?id=38648039

By virtually every measure, the top two quarterbacks in the 2016 draft are Cal’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. The Rams, who last week traded up to snag the No. 1 pick, will meet with both Goff and Wentz ahead of next week’s draft.

But we’re not waiting until next week to make the decision the Rams have to make.

We asked 13 of ESPN’s NFL writers, analysts and front-office experts to pick the best quarterback in the draft, Goff or Wentz, and to explain why one of them is ahead on their draft board. The results are below, and you can cast your vote here.

Team Goff

Mel Kiper Jr., NFL Draft Analyst: Goff and Wentz both have tremendous upside, but it’s a passing league, and my preference is the guy who is the more advanced prospect in that area. Wentz offers a great physical profile, with size, movement skills and arm strength, but Goff comes with a more developed skill set where I need it most. He anticipates well, reads defenses, moves defenders with his eyes, can read the field, and throws strikes both underneath and down the field. It’s a close call, but I give a narrow edge to Goff at this point. What will be most important for each is where they land and how well they are coached up.

Mark Dominik, NFL Front Office Insider: I am a Goff guy. The areas where he needs to develop are all football-related. From a mechanics standpoint, he has the raw tools you look for in young quarterback prospects. Plus, his football intelligence and passion for the game are clear positives. Goff and Wentz can develop into good quarterbacks, but Wentz is in store for a much tougher transition than people realize.

Louis Riddick, NFL Front Office Insider: Goff has superior feet in the pocket, rush awareness, poise and accuracy under pressure. He also has superb decision-making, touch and accuracy at all three levels. This kid took a beating and never flinched. He has a Joe Montana-like presence in his movement and demeanor. He will get bigger and stronger, and his hand-size issues are overblown. He just needs the right pieces around him, and he will have a great career.

Steve Palazzolo, Senior Analyst at Pro Football Focus: Goff is the best quarterback in this draft because he already has the translatable skills necessary to succeed at the next level. He has excellent pocket presence and excels throwing to all levels with quick decision-making and anticipation. Wentz, on the other hand, sometimes lacks timing, throwing late while trying to make up for it with his strong arm. He doesn’t show the same pocket movement or ability to make big throws under pressure that Goff makes regularly. While there are plenty of things to like about Wentz on tape, there is still a lot of projection to his game, and he has to develop more before he has a chance to surpass Goff.

Aaron Schatz, Editor-in-Chief of Football Outsiders: Our QBASE projection system makes it very clear: Goff is by far a better risk than Wentz. Goff has a higher floor and a higher ceiling. QBASE ranks Goff as the No. 9 quarterback prospect of the last two decades. He had far better production than Wentz in college, despite playing in tougher circumstances. By our estimates, Cal played the 30th-toughest schedule of opposing defenses out of 128 teams in FBS last year. Wentz completed fewer passes for fewer yards per attempt against an FCS schedule. Frankly, neither quarterback was surrounded by NFL-caliber talent; Wentz had FCS-level blockers and receivers, but Cal is not Alabama either. Kenny Lawler is the only Cal receiver or lineman projected to be chosen in the first four rounds of this year’s draft.

Steve Muench, NFL Draft Analyst: Goff might need more time to transition, but he has shown the ability to get through progressions and manipulate coverages. He also has the quick feet to effectively drop from under center. While he’s not as much of a threat to scramble as Wentz, Goff has a slight edge in terms of buying time in the pocket and finding the open man when the protection starts to break down, which is an important trait. Goff also has the edge in experience, both in terms of games played and the level of competition he faced. Finally, Goff needs to continue to bulk up and improve his ability to take punishment, but he didn’t miss a college game with an injury. He gets the edge over Wentz.

Kevin Weidl, NFL Draft Analyst: I give the edge to Goff, but it’s close, and there is an argument to be made for both. Goff has one of the smoothest releases I have studied in a while, and he is the more naturally accurate thrower. More important, though, he has better pocket presence, which I believe is one of the most important baseline traits when evaluating quarterbacks. Goff feels pressure naturally and does a nice job of maintaining quality eye level to work through progressions while avoiding the rush. On the flip side, Wentz comes with better measurables, more mobility and comes from a more NFL-friendly offense. Goff and Wentz will need time to develop, but I believe both have the skill set and makeup to become quality starters if they are put in the proper environment to succeed.

John Clayton, Senior NFL Writer: While I think the small-college criticism of Wentz is overrated — a good quarterback is a good quarterback, regardless of the competition — there are several things about Goff I like, including his compact, quick arm release and great accuracy. To some degree, Goff reminds me of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. It doesn’t hurt either that Browns coach Hue Jackson knows the Cal program well.

Field Yates, NFL Insider: At the end of the day, neither Goff nor Wentz profiles as a quarterback who will change the fortunes of his new franchise from the first day he takes the field. But when pressed to choose one or the other, I tilt the scales toward Goff, and it comes down to a few traits that stand out on film: exceptional footwork and feel for the pocket, paired with an effortless arm. Enduring a 1-11 season as a freshman at Cal will help him deal with the hardship a rookie quarterback experiences at the NFL level.

Final tally for those in favor of Goff: 9

Team Wentz

Todd McShay, NFL Draft Analyst: From what I’m hearing, I think Los Angeles will take Goff, but I give a slight edge to Wentz. He’s bigger, stronger and more mobile outside the pocket. Though he comes from an FCS school in North Dakota State, the system he played in transfers to the NFL much better than the Air Raid scheme that Goff played in at Cal. Wentz and Goff both have great work ethics and mental/physical toughness, and their natural accuracy translates well to the next level.

Bill Polian, NFL Front Office Insider: This is a tough call. Wentz has size, an excellent arm, a winning track record and outstanding intelligence. The problem is that he has not faced top competition. Goff, on the other hand, has played at the highest level, but Cal wasn’t great and didn’t win many games. He has excellent height and great bloodlines; his father, Jerry, was a pro baseball player. He also has exceptionally quick and active feet, a very fast release and good accuracy. He plays in a pure spread system, and as a result he is often under duress from rushers. He extends plays well and sees and scans the field exceptionally. In the end, the level-of-competition argument favors Goff, and the size argument favors Wentz. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to make a pick, it would be Wentz based on size alone. Then again, if you put the gun down I might change my mind. I think both players have what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

Matt Bowen, NFL Writer: Give me Wentz and his upside. He has the pro size (6-foot-5, 237 pounds), arm strength and footwork that translate to Sundays based on his college tape. Wentz took full advantage of the Senior Bowl practices to showcase his skill set and then followed with a solid workout at the combine. Accuracy, anticipation and the velocity to rip the ball outside of the numbers — he checks all the boxes. This is a tough quarterback, a guy who played in a pro-style, multiple system. He has the football IQ to make the jump. Is he ready to start slinging the ball around as a rookie? I don’t see it — yet. He needs some time before being thrown into the fire. The size and talent, however, are there. And he could be a really good pro if he’s not forced onto the field too early.

Adam Caplan, NFL Insider: When speaking with various NFL executives about both quarterbacks over several weeks, it has become clear that most prefer Wentz over Goff. Wentz has the best tools of any quarterback in this draft in terms of arm strength, size and athleticism. While Wentz played at a much lower level of college football than Goff, evaluators love that he played in a pro-style system, which should help project him well to the next level. That’s not to say that Goff isn’t a solid prospect — he is — but Goff doesn’t possess the same high-end traits as Wentz.

Final tally for those in favor of Wentz: 4

Actually the gambling issue doesn’t interest me at all. The moving issue does though.

Sorry I moved the post, Z, I just thought it was a separate topic and that one or the other topic would get buried as a result. Do you want me to move it back here? Not a problem if so.