Likeliest NFL Draft Booms and Busts For 2016 Season
By Erik Lambert
Quarterback
Boom: Jared Goff
There are a few reasons to think Goff will have a great start to his pro career. First, he stands the best chance of anybody else in the draft class to start right away. The Los Angeles Rams really don’t have a true challenger on the depth chart to stop him. Then there is the fact that they’ve assembled a young and strong supporting cast including a Pro Bowl running back in Todd Gurley and stiff defense that is tailored to absorb a quarterback with limited experience and give him time to grow and learn without putting too much of a burden on his shoulders.
Bust: Carson Wentz
Even though he went just one pick later, Wentz faces a far steeper climb to becoming a productive quarterback. First he’ll have to beat out Sam Bradford for the starting job, and that doesn’t look like a possibility at least for the first part of the season. Then there is the matter of the Philadelphia Eagles roster. Despite some solid restructuring by GM Howie Roseman, the team still has lingering questions around their offensive line, which struggled a lot in 2015 and their running game. DeMarco Murray is gone, leaving the injury-prone Ryan Mathews as their best option. Not the best environment for a rookie to thrive right away.
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