QB Carson Wentz, KC (2 Viewers)

North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz went No. 4 to the Cowboys in ESPN analyst Todd McShay's most recent mock draft.

"Now that I'm deep into Wentz's tape, I feel very comfortable saying he's a legit first-round talent," he wrote. "He has the height, sturdy frame, natural accuracy, pocket mobility and on-field leadership you look for in a QB." The analyst went on to mention Wentz's 20-3 record as a starter at NDSU and his two FCS national titles. "You could certainly make a case for the Cowboys taking the best available D-line prospect, such as Oregon's DeForest Buckner," McShay wrote. "But if Dallas is sold on Wentz (or Goff, if he's available), this could prove to be a very wise long-term investment at the game's most important position." Interestingly, CBS Sports analysts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler both recently mocked Wentz to the Browns at No. 2.

Source: ESPN Insider

Feb 3 - 2:29 PM

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NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock believes that North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz is "going to knock people dead in the interview room."

This isn't a huge surprise, as Wentz hails from Bismark, North Dakota, and played at the FCS level for the Bison. The 6-foot-6, 231-pounder has yer classic Midwestern humility at his disposal. TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline wrote after the Senior Bowl that he was told that Wentz "knocked it out of the park during interviews as personnel people around the league who interviewed [him] were awed by his knowledge of X’s and O’s." He's likely to be either the first or second quarterback drafted (Cal's Jared Goff would be the other one in the discussion for first QB off the board), though an NFL personnel executive recently suggested to Mayock's colleague Lance Zierlein that he wouldn't draft Wentz in the first round this spring, due to his lack of playing time against higher level competition.

Source: NFL.com

Feb 8 - 6:13 PM

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NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock ranks North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz as the best quarterback in the draft.


Mayock's position rankings were released Wednesday. In them, he sides with Wentz over Jared Goff of California. Following those two, in order, are Paxton Lynch (Memphis), Connor Cook (Michigan State) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State). Mayock's love of Wentz is no surprise after the analyst gushed over the Bison star at the Senior Bowl. We find it a bit more interesting that Mayock has Prescott No. 5. There are a few other developmental quarterbacks we'd prefer over the Bulldog. We're a bit concerned that Prescott has never shown an ability to work through progressions.

Source: NFL.com
Feb 10 - 5:33 PM

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NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein compares North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz to Blake Bortles.
"Both quarterbacks have big frames and are mobile outside of the pocket," he wrote. "Another similarity is that they both come into the league a little bit "behind" their contemporaries. Wentz is behind because of his level of competition and Bortles was behind because of the simplicity of his scheme at Central Florida." Wentz is a unique prospect who has already drawn a handful of interesting comparisons during the process. NFL Media colleague Bucky Brooks wrote recently that Wentz could be used like Cam Newton in the NFL.

 
Source: NFL.com  Feb 16 - 4:33 PM

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North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz is now Todd McShay's No. 1 quarterback.
The analyst ranks Wentz as the No. 8 overall prospect in his newest Big Board. "I've finally had time to study enough tape on the top QBs to put Wentz No. 1, slightly ahead of Jared Goff," he wrote. "Wentz has the frame (6-foot-5¼, 233 pounds). He has the arm. He can make all the throws -- even in cold, windy weather. He's a mobile QB who extends plays with his feet. And in the most important areas of QB evaluation -- mental makeup and accuracy -- Wentz grades out extremely high." NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein compares Wentz to Blake Bortles and colleague Bucky Brooks wrote recently that Wentz could be used like Cam Newton.

 
Source: ESPN.com 
Feb 17 - 7:43 PM

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NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz has "the mental and physical building blocks of a future, franchise quarterback."
 
Zierlein does deem Wentz's arm strength to be merely "OK," but despite those two lukewarm letters, he doesn't see it as an issue, elaborating with "he can still make all the throws and he can make them with accuracy." He's more critical of the 6-foot-6, 231-pound Bison product's footwork, writing that his "arm gets ahead of his feet even with time to come to balance." There's still work to be done here, clearly, but Wentz has been rising through the draft process like a rocket, particularly on the strength of a strong appearance at the Senior Bowl. Zierlein's previously compared him to Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. Meanwhile, in their first Big Board of 2016, Pro Football Focus ranks Wentz as their No. 4 overall prospect (just behind Cal's Jared Goff, by the by).

 
 
Source: NFL.com
Feb 21 - 4:57 PM

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49ers GM Trent Baalke is not concerned about North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz's upcoming acclimation to the pros.
After playing at the sub-division level in college -- and competing against North Dakota's finest in high school -- Wentz will be anointed one NFL franchise's savior in about two months. Baalke isn't concerned that the bright lights will effect him much. "They've put out a lot of good football players for a small, lower-level play; that conference has," he said. "Certainly there's a learning curve they all go through, but I don't think it's as drastic as some may (think). They play at a high level. They won five national championships in a row, and Carson was a part of four of those. He's a good football player. He's got the stature you're looking for. He's got the intelligence you're looking for. There are so many positives to draw from. Now, how ready is he going to be when he gets to the league? I think there will be a learning curve, but there is for everybody at that position." The 49ers hold the No. 7 pick but have decided to retain Colin Kaepernick.

 
 
Source: NFL.com
Feb 25 - 1:54 PM

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TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline noted that North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz "showed the ability to make all the throws and, like [Cal QB Jared] Goff, his timing was incredibly impressive."
Wrote Pauline, "Receivers were almost never waiting for passes to arrive and Wentz had the ball to them as they exited breaks. He showed great arm strength and the ability to power the ball into targets." The analyst believes the 6-foot-6, 231-pounder has a "stronger arm" than Cal gunslinger Goff, though Goff bested Wentz in terms of accuracy in the throwing drills. Neither quarterback's done anything at the combine to hurt their draft stocks, though eyebrows were raised when Goff's hand measured just nine inches.

 
 
Source: philadelphiaeagles.com

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An NFL scout told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Bob McGinn that North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz "might be the most physically talented of the group [of quarterbacks]."
"Would I be nervous with this guy? Absolutely. But if you have no quarterback at all, what do you got to lose?" the scout asked. On the level of ability, though, he has no questions on Wentz, noting that the 6-foot-6, 231-pounder is a "big guy with a big arm" and that the ball "gets there." During throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline saw likewise, calling his timing "incredibly impressive" due to his "ability to power the ball into targets." Another scout who spoke with McGinn is nervous about the jump from FCS ball to the NFL. "...it's such a long way from that level of play to the NFL at any position, let alone quarterback," he said.

 
 
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

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An NFL personnel director indicated that he "loved" North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz' cocky attitude at the Combine.
Human beings are funny creatures. While Noah Spence -- who, to be fair, put himself in the position to be grilled about a past drug addiction -- and Paxton Lynch were seen as difficult or aloof, Wentz' brashness drew universal praise. "A little arrogance ... and I loved it," the personnel director said after interviewing the NDSU prospect. "It was natural. The kid was who he is. You just could tell we were not scaring him up there." Eric Edholm has the industry consensus down at the moment when he writes: "Wentz is the favorite to go to the Cleveland Browns with the second pick in the draft until further notice."

 
 
Source: Yahoo Sports 
Mar 4 - 12:31 PM

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NFL Media's Lance Zierlein says North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz's draft stock has improved more during the process than any prospect.
"My grade essentially changed from 'chance to be a good starter' to the lower end of 'good starter with Pro Bowl potential,'" he wrote. "Wentz looked rock-solid in his workouts and had a commanding presence throughout the process. The discussions I had with team executives who raved about his maturity, intelligence and poise in their interviews really sold me on bumping his grade. The physical traits and tools were always there, but adding the 'intangibles' piece of the puzzle helped finalize my grade." Wentz is currently the odds-on favorite to go No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns.

 
 
Source: NFL.com 
Mar 10 - 9:00 PM

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Faust said:

Jon Gruden says Carson Wentz is the most NFL-ready QB he's seen in years

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TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline called North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz's Thursday Pro Day "a very good workout, but not a great workout as some have proclaimed."
"My concern today is what I witnessed during Senior Bowl week; when Wentz misses, he's usually high of the mark, as there were a number of instances today where receivers had to get airborne in order to make the reception," Pauline noted, adding that "Whether that's the end result of over-throwing the ball or a footwork issue, it bears watching." Wentz completed 63-of-65 passes on a snowy Thursday in Fargo, with NFL Media analysts of all stripes immediately jumping out to proclaim his Pro Day workout a masterpiece. Gil Brandt called it one of the best Pro Days he's ever seen and Daniel Jeremiah termed it an "A if not an A-plus," while Mike Mayock felt the performance solidified Wentz as the best quarterback in this class. On this week's Big Board, Rotoworld's Josh Norris placed Wentz at No. 24, noting similarly to Pauline that the gunslinger occasionally gets "stuck in the mud" due to issues with his base.

 
 
Source: Walter Football 
Mar 24 - 7:09 PM

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Faust said:

Mike Mayock has two stunning QB comparisons for Carson Wentz

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ILUVBEER99 said:

"He's 237 pounds, and he's every bit as athletic as Andrew Luck or Cam Newton." -@MikeMayock

Luck ran a 4.67 40-yard dash and posted a 36-inch vertical and 124-inch broad jump. He was 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds.

Newton ran a 4.59 40-yard dash and posted a 35-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump. He was 6-5 and 248 pounds.

Wentz ran 4.77 40-yard dash and posted a 30.5-inch vertical and 118-inch broad jump. He was 6-5 and 237 pounds.

***Wentz is not near as athletic as Cam/Luck, they blow him out of the water in every athletic metric.  I like Mayock, but he's talking crazy.

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Pro Football Focus analyst Jeff Dooley tagged the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams as ideal potential landing spots for North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz.
The Browns are the obvious squad in prime position to draft Wentz. Barring a trade up to the first pick from another team like the Rams, if the Browns want Wentz, he should be there at No. 2. As for the Cowboys, Dooley wrote that "drafting a high-ceiling FCS product like Wentz who might benefit from a year learning from a veteran like [Tony] Romo has to be tempting for the Cowboys." That leaves us the Rams, who have waded through a quarterback wasteland for a good portion of the 21st century. "Look no further than last year’s draft to see the team’s interest in developing a tough, physical profile on offense (power-back Todd Gurley and run-blocking maulers Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown made up their first three picks), and Wentz projects to be able to provide something of a power-run element in the pros." They would almost certainly need to complete a trade if they want any shot at the North Dakota State gunslinger.

 
 
Source: Pro Football Focus
Mar 26 - 3:37 PM

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In a breakdown of the top-10 quarterback draft prospects since 2011, NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranks North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz No. 7.
Jeremiah was strictly looking at how quarterback prospects graded heading into the draft. Their NFL results (for the drafted gunslingers) was not taken into account. The analyst ranks the top-6 in order as Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Auburn QB Cam Newton, Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, FSU QB Jameis Winston, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater and Oregon QB Marcus Mariota. Then comes Wentz, with Jeremiah writing simply, "This is kind of the company he keeps, which is good company here right next to Marcus Mariota." This week, the 6-foot-5, 237-pounder turned in a marvelous Pro Day on a snowy Thursday in Fargo. NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt called it one of the best he has ever seen.

 
 
Source: NFL.com
Mar 25 - 3:13 PM

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massraider said:

Mayock is comparing him athletically to Cam Newton, which is about as good a sign as you will find that the hype is out of control.  I wonder if NFL teams don't have a lot more questions than draft Twitter does.

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Hankmoody said:

I think the fact the Titans still own the pick indicates that they do.  If there were this level of belief in this guy someone would have already dropped a bomb to get to 1.

That said, I think he's worth the top 5 pick, and Cleveland and Dallas are fools to pass him up.  If you're Dallas you're thinking this is the only time in the next 5 years you are going to be drafting in the top half of the draft, and here you have a shot to get a franchise level QB.  You take that. 

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Bracie Smathers said:

Just saw the leaked Wonderlic score for Wentz.  


Benjamin Allbright‏@AllbrightNFL


40? Wentz Wonderlic score leaked at beginning of March was a 29.

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