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Quarterback Carson Wentz to the Saints as their first round pick?

By John Hendrix

Jan 9, 2016; Frisco, TX, USA; North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws a pass in the third quarter against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the FCS Championship college football game at Toyota Stadium. North Dakota State won the championship 37-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Frisco, TX, USA; North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz (11) throws a pass in the third quarter against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the FCS Championship college football game at Toyota Stadium. North Dakota State won the championship 37-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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If you really want a good laugh this morning, then you’ll want to check out Lance Zierlein’s first NFL Mock Draft.

Of all the glaring needs for the New Orleans Saints heading into 2016, the last thing you’d think about is taking a quarterback in the first round. At the 12th overall pick, Zierlein has the team doing just that by selecting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. Here’s what he had to say about the pick:

"The Saints have other needs they could address, but the ability to draft a talent like Wentz and let him sit behind Drew Brees might be too much for the Saints to pass on."

Respectfully, Zierlein is a draft analyst for NFL.com, and comes from a lineage of football smarts. However, we have to really disagree with this pick. Wentz is 6-foot-5, 231 pounds, and is projected as a first round choice behind Cal’s Jared Goff and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. After helping the Bison win their fifth-straight title game, Wentz is certainly seeing his draft stock rise. The 23-year-old didn’t start until 2014 for the Bison, but ended up tossing for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns.

For more insight on Wentz, be sure to check out his NFL Draft Profile.

"Tall with an athletic, proportional build that is made for the NFL position. Played in a pro-­style attack with plenty of snaps under center. Asked to make NFL throws and showed he could do it. Stands tall in the pocket and delivers with a relatively high release point. Keeps ball high and tight in the pocket and can uncork it quickly with tight, sharp release and little wasted motion. Throws catchable ball with tight spiral. Naturally accurate passer."

Having just turned 23 at the end of December, Wentz is certainly a prospect to keep an eye, but the Saints used one of their third round picks (75th overall) in last year’s draft on Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson. I’m not entirely sure why analysts fail to acknowledge this, or neglect to mention it.

Some of this could be stemmed from the team turning to veteran Matt Flynn after Luke McCown was lost for the season due to a back injury. However, the main thing for Grayson is to continue learning from one of the league’s best similar to what Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers did under Brett Favre. If for some reason an extension for Drew Brees could not get done despite all optimism from all parties involved, then this pick could prove to be more realistic. However, it still seems like a wild stretch.

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