It’s that time of year and the NFL draft is just around the corner with the NFL combine begins today. Here is “Downtown” Russell Brown and Adam “Dorf” Waltersdorf’s consensus top-10 quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL draft.
1. Jared Goff
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | California | Jr | 6’4″ | 210 lbs |
Downtown says:
Overall he’s the best QB in the draft. He’s got great size and arm strength to be considered one of the better QB’s in the draft. What I like most is his ability to get out of the pocket and that he can make all the big time throws. He has some accuracy concerns but with time, those issues can be fixed. With the way California ran their offense, he’s an instant fit for a passing scheme. His football IQ is the best in the draft and should solidify himself after the combine as the top QB in the draft.
Dorf says:
Goff is the best of a bad bunch this year. He has the highest potential to be an elite quarterback out of any of the top five quarterbacks in this class but arguably has the lowest floor. He has the absolute elite level arm strength by his decision making leaves a lot to be desired.
2. Paxton Lynch
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Memphis | rJr | 6’6″ | 230 lbs |
Downtown says:
I haven’t been a fan of Lynch since day one. I’ve watched his tape and I see a big quarterback who can throw over really bad defenses. He has accruacy concerns, especially on his deep ball. Lynch has a strong arm but I don’t feel comfortable with how inaccurate he can be. Lynch will need to get better at reading defenses for me to feel more comfortable with him as a solid starting quaterback in the NFL. Lynch can get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet but his footwork in the pocket needs to be polished. If I were a GM of an NFL team, I’d be very hesitant on drafting Lynch.
Dorf says:
Paxton Lynch reminds me a lot of Ryan Mallett minus the off the field issues but he is a bit more athletic inside and outside of the pocket. He’s got the frame and size to drool over. His on the field performance against inferior competition could be better but the talent around him wasn’t exactly great either. He has Pro-Bowl level potential, but the chances he ever reaches it are slim to none.
3. Carson Wentz
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | North Dakota State | Sr | 6’5″ | 233 lbs |
Downtown says:
Wentz has been climbing up my board and just about everyone’s board. Comparing him to Matt Ryan has been one of the most accurate QB comparisons I’ve seen in quite some time. Wentz is incredibly smart and is very accurate with the football. Ball placement is something he does well but at times, he stares down receivers. Overall, his timing is there, big time arm and has all of the tools to be a very good NFL QB. Get to know this guy and get used to him because he’s going to be very good.
Dorf says:
I don’t get the love affair with Carson Wentz. He will win the Underwear Olympics (the NFL Combine) because he won’t have to face any actual defenses there. Where he will end up getting drafted he will be expected to start day one and that will be an absolute disaster. He hasn’t had to read even a D1 level defense before and that fact shouldn’t be taken lightly.
4. Connor Cook
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Michigan State | rSr | 6’4″ | 220 lbs |
Downtown says:
Probably going to be some Spartan biased in this Cook evaluation but I’ll keep it as realistic as I can. The shoulder injury has really hurt Cook and his stock. Personally, I like him over Paxton Lynch but I find it hard to believe for him to move above him without participating in the Senior Bowl. He needs to have a strong finish on his path to the draft to become a first rounder. Cook is most comparable to Matthew Stafford as he’s incredibly inconsistent. There are times when he can make all the NFL caliber throws and then there are times that he misses his receivers completely. Often times, you’ll see him locking in on only one receiver and that makes him force bad passes. Cook does a nice job of getting out of the pocket and is incredibly tough. He will be a work in progress and it might be more of a benefit to an organization that doesn’t need to rush him to become a day one starter.
Dorf says:
Now that Cook has finally admitted that he didn’t participate in the Senior Bowl because of injury we can put that crap to bed. Connor Cook has the most solid record of winning and protecting the ball out of any Quarterback in this class. This means he very well could be a solid game manager at the NFL level, but he may never develop into the elite starter that you want when selecting a quarterback in the first round. Cook will likely fall in the draft because of the “not a team captain” B.S. but should still end up being a very solid pro before it is all said an done.
5. Christian Hackenberg
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 3-4 | 3-4 | 5 | 6 | Penn State | Jr | 6’4″ | 236 lbs |
Downtown says:
All the tools are there for Hackenberg to be great. However, he doesn’t implement them to his game. He takes one shot too many when throwing it deep and it often leads to a turnover. He’s had some real accuracy concerns and I would only be comfortable in taking him if I had a solid veteran in front of him. Hackenberg has the physical build you want to see in a quarterback but he doesn’t carry himself as a quarterback. When the game isn’t going as planned, he shuts down and doesn’t show any leadership on the sidelines. To me that’s a red flag and is composure in the pocket is very poor. Right now, he’s at least a third rounder for me but I wouldn’t be surprised if he falls beyond that.
Dorf says:
Christian Hackenberg has all the physical tools to be a successful NFL quarterback, but due to a lack of protection at Penn State may be physically and mentally ruined. If he is taken by a franchise that will give him time to get comfortable at the NFL level, he could end up being a diamond in the rough. If he is expected to play day one, his maturity issues and shell-shock problems will mean this rocket arm never takes off.
6. Nate Sudfeld
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 4-5 | 3-4 | 6 | 5 | Indiana | Sr | 6’6″ | 236 lbs |
Downtown says:
When looking for a young quarterback to develop in the mid-rounds, Sudfeld has to come to mind. There are skills that need to be developed for sure but Sudfeld has the physical size you want in a quarterback but also his arm strength is solid asset. He has his accuracy concerns like every quarterback in this class but Sudfeld has a tape of making really good decisions with the ball. Now, he’s far from perfect but again, if you want to develop a quarterback, Sudfeld is one of those guys.
Dorf says:
I really like Nate Sudfeld as a mid-round developmental prospect. What will always hold him back is the system he played in at Indiana. He has all the physical attributes of an NFL quarterback, but definitely doesn’t have the elite level arm strength or resume that you’d want to take him any earlier than round four. I see a lot of Matt Moore in him and that’s not a bad thing. The guy has been in the league for close to a decade and has made a ton of money as a backup or spot starter.
7. Cardale Jones
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 4-5 | 5-6 | 7 | 8 | Ohio State | rJr | 6’5″ | 250 lbs |
Downtown says:
To be honest, there’s not enough tape of this guy. I don’t think there’s one thing I can pick out and say is a strength. He lacks ideal accuracy for a quarterback with his arm strength, he needs to improve his footwork and he tends to hold onto the ball for too long. He is a mobile quarterback so it doesn’t make sense for him to wait on a receiver. Jones is an interesting prospect and should get a chance to start, one day. For now, he’s a 5th rounder in my opinion.
Dorf says:
Talk about a guy that should have struck while the iron was hot. Now Cardale Jones will be selected late in the process (if he’s selected at all) and will have to ride the pine. If everything goes right in his development (which it won’t) he could be a poor man’s Ben Roethlisberger, if not, he’ll be out of the league in a short amount of time.
8. Jacoby Brissett
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 5-6 | 5-6 | 9 | 7 | NC State | rSr | 6’4″ | 236 lbs |
Downtown says:
In my opinion, I’d take Jacoby Brissett over Cardele Jones. Brissett has more tape and I’ll always take the known over the unknown, unless the known is really bad. Brissett is far from bad but he’s far from great. He’s got the intangibles to become a very interesting prospect. He’s not as mobile as people suggest but he stands in the pocket and delivers passes with a relatively strong arm. His arm won’t be the strongest in the draft and he’s far from the accurate (59.9% career completion percentage) but he’s smart football player. Until we see what he does in the combine, Brissett is nothing better than a 5th round pick. If he has a strong combine/pro day, I believe a team will take him sooner than that though.
Dorf says:
I will fully admit that I have not watched Brissett live, but only on tape (YouTube). I’m not that impressed, but then again this class is shallower than a kiddie pool on quarterback talent, so he cracks my top ten QB prospects.
9. Dak Prescott
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 5-6 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | Mississippi State | rSr | 6’2″ | 226 lbs |
Downtown says:
It’s okay that I’m not on the Prescott bandwagon right? He’s got average size for a quarterback (get off my back Russell Wilson) and is not consistent enough. I understand this season was his best as a college quarterback but when teams stopped his offense from running the ball, he struggled. If the spotlight was on him, he struggled. Trust me, I’m aware that he was a Heisman hopeful but he’s got poor footwork in the pocket and that’s telling because of how much he ran the ball. Prescott is a mobile threat but he’s too aggressive and could become injury prone if he doesn’t protect himself when running the ball. Overall, he’s got some upside but he’s lower on my list than others and shouldn’t be drafted until at least the fifth round.
Dorf says:
It has been reported that the Denver Broncos are in love with Dak Prescott. I just don’t see it. Prescott reminds me a lot of Troy Smith coming out of Ohio State even though Prescott is taller. I just don’t see Dak making a splash at the NFL level.
10. Kevin Hogan
| Dorf Proj. Round | D’Town Proj. Round | Dorf Pos. Rank | D’Town Pos. Rank | School | Class | HT. | WT. |
| 6-7 | 6-7 | 10 | 10 | Stanford | rSr | 6’3″ | 217 lbs |
Downtown says:
Product of Stanford so clearly he’s smart and fits a pro-style offense, immediately. However, he lacks a deep ball and has trouble placing the ball like a big time quarterback. Perfect day three pick for a team that needs quarterback depth and wants to develop a young quarterback.
Dorf says:
It is a very hard job to be the Quarterback that replaces a number one overall pick (Andrew Luck). Hogan has done nothing but win as the starter. With that being said, his body of work isn’t that impressive. Stanford has never asked him to win games with his arm, even as a four year starter. He’s just not that good.