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2016 NFL Draft Preview: Five Intriguing Quarterbacks

The first article in our series leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs currently have three quarterbacks on their roster in Alex Smith, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray, and because of what general manager John Dorsey said back at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, they could be in the market for another one in the upcoming NFL Draft.

"[Coach Andy Reid] historically has always had four quarterbacks going into training camp," Dorsey explained. "I can foresee us going into training camp with four quarterbacks.

"Now we'll see who those four are."

When Dorsey said this, Chase Daniel, who had backed up starter Alex Smith over the past three years, hadn't yet signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

There was the outside possibility that the Chiefs weren't going to be adding any new bodies to the quarterback room if Daniel would have returned, which Dorsey expressed interest in doing as long as the value was right.

Ultimately, that didn't happen and Daniel joined former offensive coordinator Doug Pederson with the Eagles, which means the Chiefs sit with three quarterbacks and are likely in the market for another quarterback.

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Bray is entering his fourth year with the Chiefs after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee back in 2013, while Murray is entering his third year after being the team's fifth-round pick out of Georgia back in 2014.

Both players understand the system and will compete for the backup spot throughout the offseason and into training camp, but adding another body to the mix is likely.

Dorsey said there will be about 150 players on his draft board by the time we get to the draft, which begins on Thursday, April 28, and runs through Saturday, April 30.

While we don't know if any of the quarterbacks listed below are on that board, these are still some names everyone should expect to hear sometime during the weekend.

With that said, we'll begin the first of our 10-part series that previews five prospects available in the upcoming draft at every position—starting with quarterbacks.

The first two quarterbacks are going to be long gone by the time the Chiefs would even have the opportunity to select them at No. 28, but they are names you're going to hear plenty about over the next few weeks.

We'll start with California's Jared Goff, who is listed as NFL Network Draft Analyst Mike Mayock’s No. 2 QB in his current positional rankings.

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The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Cal completed 65 percent of his passes for more than 4,700 yards with 43 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions last season.

He was the school's first ever quarterback to start the opening game as a freshman, and all he did after that was make plays and set records even with a team that struggled through much of his career.

Many draft analysts project Goff as a top-10 pick.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller on Jared Goff:

"He's poised, he's accurate. He makes the right decision nine times out of 10, and if you take out the Utah game, 9.5 times out of 10."

A look at five intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The other quarterback in this two-man race for the top spot is North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz, who at 6 feet 5 and 237 pounds, definitely looks the part of a NFL quarterback.

According to Mayock, Wentz is the top QB in this draft.

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Having played at an FCS school, although one that has had tremendous success like they have at North Dakota State, Wentz still has to answer questions about the level of competition he faced, particularly in comparison to players in this draft from the power conferences.

Wentz started for only the last two years at NDSU and played in just seven games as a senior because of a broken wrist, but he returned in time to help them win a fifth-straight NCAA Division 1-FCS National Championship.

He completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,651 yards with 17 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions in limited action last season.

Many draft analysts also project Wentz as a top-10 quarterback.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller on Wentz:

"Carson Wentz is what a quarterback coach would draw up and create in a lab. He's huge with a big arm and he's athletic. He's got great character and he's really intelligent, but he's started 25 games at a FCS school, so the level of competition wasn't great. As far as potential goes, in a few years he could be the best quarterback in the league if he rounds everything out."


The next quarterback on most draft analysts' boards after Goff and Wentz is Memphis' Paxton Lynch, who is Mayock’s No. 3 QB heading into this draft.

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The 6-foot-7, 244-pound athlete has drawn obvious comparisons to Baltimore's Joe Flacco and Houston's Brock Osweiler because of his height, but the way in which Lynch moves around the pocket is a little surprising for a player of his size.



Lynch completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,776 yards with 28 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions as a junior last season, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he visited the Chiefs last week.



Here's what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say about Lynch:

"Lynch possesses the size and athleticism to make NFL teams take a second look. Unlike other size/speed quarterbacks like Vince Young and Colin Kaepernick, Lynch prefers to extend passing plays with his feet rather than bolting from the pocket, but he is still likely to make plenty of plays with his feet over the long haul. Lynch shows the ability to read defenses and make smart decisions, but not yet at an NFL starting level. While he has the physical tools to start right away, a team who is willing to allow him to sit and study his craft for a year could reap maximum rewards in the future."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller on Lynch:

"If you're playing flag football, you're picking him first. He's enormous and he's a good athlete. He's got a big arm and a lot of his problems are fixable.  I think you can iron out some of the mechanical issues and it's going to improve his accuracy. I think he's more of a blank canvas than the other guys. He's a little bit younger. He can throw it through a wall and he can also run over you."


Another intriguing player is Mississippi State's Dak Prescott, who is Mayock’s No. 5-ranked QB in this draft.

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Prescott is a uniquely dangerous QB because of his athletic ability, which is noted by the fact that he ran for more than 2,400 yards with 37 touchdowns on the ground over the past three years.

He added another 66 touchdowns through the air and completed 63 percent of his passes en route to becoming a two-time first-team All-SEC player.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller on Prescott:

"He played more in the pocket over the past two years, but this last year he really took off there. He's a great athlete and he can run it for you in short yardage. He's great on play action, and I just think he sees the field really well. He's just a really smart, really athletic player. His accuracy isn't always great but his decision-making got better. His delivery got faster and he's not going to be a problem in your locker room."


The fifth and final quarterback in this preview is Stanford's Kevin Hogan, who is projected by many as a mid-round pick after a stellar collegiate career, during which he went 36-10 as a starter.

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Hogan completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,867 yards with 27 touchdown and just 8 interceptions as a senior last year.



Here's what Zierlein had to say about Hogan:

"Tasked to manage the offense and did just that. Smart and self-aware. Understands his strengths and weaknesses and doesn't take very many low percentage chances. Hogan was the most accurate short-yardage passer in Pac-12 at 76.7 percent."



Back at the Combine, Hogan explained what he loves about football.

"I've always loved the game," he noted. "I love that there's 11 moving parts that have to work together to be successful. It's not like its one person can change a game.

"It's got to be everyone."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller on Hogan:

"He's got really unorthodox mechanics, but he sped up his delivery and decision-making last season. On the field, he got better and in this quarterback class, that stands for something because so many these guys aren't getting better. He was a 46-game starter, he has good athleticism, he played under center and in the shotgun, he ran some read option—there's a lot there."

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