The college football season is right around the corner as teams are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming campaign. Those who are curious of who we might be seeing on Sunday’s next season here is the list of top quarterbacks for the 2016 NFL Draft.
Top 5 Seniors:
1. Cody Kessler (USC)
Cody Kessler may have had one of the most over looked seasons by a Trojan quarterback in recent memory. His 39-5 touchdown to interception ratio and completion percentage of close to 70% makes Kessler the top senior quarterback in the country. His ability to take snaps under the center makes him even more appealing as he is familiar with the pro style system. Kessler does not have elite arm strength but he could sneak his way into the first round if he can repeat another impressive season.
2. Carson Wentz (North Dakota State)
Who? Wentz is a 6’6″ senior from North Dakota State who is a bit of an unknown around the country. Wentz led the bison to an FCS title last season which is the Division 1-AA title. Wentz reminds me of a Mike Glennon that has much more mobility. Wentz has the ability to make all the throws except there is the question about his level of competition. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was one of the few who has made the jump from FCS to the NFL. Only time will tell if Wentz can do the same. His senior season will make or break his future.
3. Dak Prescott (Mississippi State)
There was a point in time last season that Prescott was the run away Heisman trophy winner. After dynamic start to his 2014 season the Dak attack couldn’t keep the momentum for the entirety of the year. Prescott is the most dominating running quarterback since Tim Tebow. Then again any comparison to Tebow will hurt his stock moving forward. Prescott plays for Dan Mullen who is Tebow’s former college offensive coordinator.
4. Trevone Boykin (TCU)
Boykin is a bit of a project considering he was a receiver in 2013. Boykin really put himself on the map last season with a dominating performance in the bowl game. Boykin led TCU to a 42-3 win over Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. The same Ole Miss team who beat Alabama earlier that season. Boykin is an exceptional athlete with a big who will hope to repeat the foot steps Ryan Tannehill took as a conversion college wide receiver.
5. Connor Cook (Michigan State)
Cook has been mentioned as a possible number one overall pick for this upcoming season. I tend to led the other way as his play makes me believe he is nothing more than a future Kirk Cousins. Cook is very similar to Garrett Grayson from this past draft as he does everything pretty well without an elite skill set. Mock drafts around the internet will have Cook atop their draft boards but you shouldn’t believe the hype. His ugly performances against big competition in Oregon and Baylor tend me to believe otherwise. Nevertheless Cook is my 5th ranked senior quarterback who deserves to be drafted in the middle rounds based off of what I have seen so far.
Top 5 Underclassmen:
1. Christian Hackenberg (Penn State)
I fully expect Hackenberg to become the eventual first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Hackenberg’s numbers weren’t pretty last season but his skill set is far and away the best of any quarterback in the country. Penn State’s team is still overcoming the Jerry Sandusky fiasco that cost the university a number of scholar ships. A bad offensive line and coaching change was an obvious set back to his development but Hackenberg showed what promise he has during his bowl game. Hackenberg was 34/50 with 371 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in the bowl win over Boston College. The Penn State gunslinger is far and away the best prospect, it’s a shame he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast.
2. Cardale Jones (Ohio State)
Jones went from 3rd string quarterback to national title winning starter in the span of a few months. Jones may have opted for this past draft as an eligible sophomore if the scouts had more than three game tapes to work with. His size and running ability makes Jones a sort of unproven Cam Newton-Ben Roethlisberger. Jones has a chance to also throw his name into the first round but he has to win the starting job first as weird as that is to say. I expect Jones to be Ohio States’ starter but he could be on a short leash with proven depth in Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett also in house.
3. Jared Goff (California)
I admit I did not see a ton of Goff last season as he played for a mediocre Cal team but he put up ridiculous numbers. Then again Cal uses a high tempo spread offense so his number are a bit inflated (3,973 yards and 35 TD’s). Goff has a big time arm but he needs to prove he was not just a one year wonder. Then again the last quarterback from California to enter the Draft was Aaron Rodgers….
4. Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati)
Kiel was a bit of a hype machine early in his career as he was a highly recruited LSU product. After flipping to Notre Dame and being subject to NCAA violations Kiel finally found his own in Cincy tossing 31 touchdowns last year. Kiel has a lot of how did he not get sacked moments but he is far from a finished product. Kiel needs to build on a strong 2014 in order to get more respect by NFL scouts.
5. Davis Webb (Texas Tech)
Webb showed flashed of greatness during his freshman season but disappointed during his sophomore season. Head coach Kliff Kingsberry hopes he can reel Webb back into the zone as Kingsberry is sort of a quarterback whisperer. Webb must show he is more than a college system quarterback to make the leap but he does have all the tools to be great. Then again he has to beat out talented Baker Mayfield for the starting job first.
