2016 NFL Draft: If Carson Wentz Is Out Of The Picture, Who Do Rams Target At QB?

The Senior Bowl week is the opportunity where if prospects play their cards right, they could end up boosting their stock ...or they can tumble down boards and be forced to attempt to build it back up from scratch.

North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz is one of those players who did the right thing last week and has moved from being rumored as a top ten pick to the valid chance the small school QB is the top QB when the NFL Draft comes along.

There have been reports that Wentz was higher on draft board than previously expected, but now there are reports that the Cleveland Browns could draft him or if the Browns do not draft him that high a team would jump over the Dallas Cowboys to draft him.

The buzz around the Browns and Carson Wentz at #2 is real.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 28, 2016

This of course means the Los Angeles Rams will likely have to look elsewhere if their plan is to draft a QB without moving up. Since the Rams already hold a developmental QB they drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft's third round last year in Sean Mannion, I will go with the belief that they do not go that route this year if they want a QB. So here are the top five QBs that should go early.

Jared Goff (QB, Cal)

For the majority of the college season, California QB Jared Goff was the quarterback to watch. Goff has been the starting quarterback since his freshmen year and has been a steady prospect throughout his collegiate career. Goff is the definition of a safe quarterback: above average in key attributes like accuracy, pocket presence, and athleticism, but without a single elite attribute. It would be a surprise if Goff dropped to 15, however the NFL has shown time and time again that safe prospects are not highly viewed in the draft.

Paxton Lynch

Lynch is quite possibly the biggest upside quarterback in the draft this year. He is (6'7) with very good athleticism to go with it. Lynch could have the biggest arm in the draft. However, Lynch plays for the University of Memphis which means that he did not play against the best competition and also did not have NFL potential players on the team. When Lynch played against Ole Miss and Auburn, Lynch did not look like a quality prospect. Also, not only does he play in a spread-offense, but a good chunk of his passes are on playaction.

Christian Hackenberg

Hackenberg is the rawest QB among the top quarterbacks. He can move, but he was sacked a ton during his career, he has good enough arm strength, but he makes horrible decisions and his mechanics are not good. A team will take a chance on fixing Hackenberg, but he could already be too broken to become a quality starting quarterback. Hackenberg will more than likely be drafted sometime during the second day of the NFL Draft.

Connor Cook

Cook is a redshirt senior that has achieved the most success out of all of the QB's on the list. As a quarterback prospect he is sometimes listed as a first round prospect, sometimes described as a mid-range prospect, I have him in the mid-ranged club. He has inconsistant throwing power and accuracy. Where Cook excels is his his anticipation of routes and his knack of making the big time throw.