The Los Angeles Rams' move to acquire the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft has, reasonably, drawn immediate speculation that the club is targeting a quarterback, and for what the club gave up to the Tennessee Titans to move up 14 spots in the draft, the expectations will be high.
NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock says he thinks there's no question that the Rams will take North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, and that Wentz has the potential to meet those expectations.
"There is no doubt in my mind, if you make a move like this, you make the move anticipating a quarterback that can become Andrew Luck, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning," Mayock said Thursday on NFL Network. "You don't make the trade unless you think he can be one of those guys, and Carson Wentz has the upside to be one of those guys."
The Rams gave up the No. 15 overall pick of the draft, plus a pair of second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), a third-round pick (No. 76), and first- and third-round picks in 2017. In return, along with the top pick, the Rams picked up the Nos. 113 (fourth round) and 177 (sixth round) picks. Translation: the Rams opened major holes in two drafts in order to take a big chance on someone, whether it's Wentz, Cal's Jared Goff (the No. 2 QB behind Wentz in Mayock's rankings), or someone else.
As for how Wentz would handle the pressure that would come with being the Rams' pick at No. 1, Mayock thinks the QB would be unfazed.
"The more I've been around this kid, his teammates, his coaches ... I watched him at the Senior Bowl, which was a big step for this kid, he went from North Dakota State to working out in front of every head coach in the league, every general manager, being coached by the Dallas Cowboys, and it didn't faze him a little bit," Mayock said. "He went to the combine, all the bright lights, all the scrutiny, again he performed admirably."
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