The scoop: "I'd hate to be a team in need of a quarterback. The best two in this draft might end up being from Memphis and North Dakota State and that ought to scare the (expletive) out of you. It takes some courage to turn that card in." -- NFC scout
The skinny: Any time a general manager takes a quarterback early in the first round, he's putting his job on the line, no matter where the player comes from. It might be a lot easier to pull the trigger on a QB from a marquee program who has played on a big stage before, but certainly this scout knows that there are plenty of examples of QBs from top programs that were picked early and went bust (JaMarcus Russell, anyone?). We've seen QBs from small schools come off the board early and go on to great success (Ben Roethlisberger, Phil Simms, Terry Bradshaw).
As for the two QBs he's referring to, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz will get a chance to prove himself against tougher competition at the Reese's Senior Bowl in January. Memphis' Paxton Lynch is a junior and has not revealed his intentions for the 2016 NFL Draft. As an underclassman, he has until a Jan. 18 deadline to make a decision on early draft entry. Both QBs are impressive talents. Our colleague Gil Brandt sees plenty to like in Wentz's game, and we saw the qualities of a top QB prospect when we took an up-close look at Lynch last month.
@ that transcript with tomsula
