This is the time of year when fans are looking closely at the College prospects that will be entering the upcoming draft. One such player that is gaining some early steam is Quarterback Carson Wentz from the 5 time defending NCAA Division I-FCS North Dakota State Bisons. Along with half of the league, Miami has met with Carson, according to Wentz. The reason for this meeting could range from due diligence, to gamesmanship, to actual interest in making the pick.
Wentz is a risk / reward prospect because he is not from the more competitive Division 1-FBS division, which is rare for NFL teams to want to use a high draft pick on considering that the level of competition is not nearly as high. Many football gambling fans believed that Wentz is worthy enough to be selected sometime in the second round. However, with Wentz’s recent participation in the Senior Bowl practices, some NFL experts now believe he has the chance to be the top drafted QB. That is quite a jump for a player from Division 1-FCS. This rise could very well be because the rest of the QB prospects in this draft are being evaluated as not being so talented.
In Wentz first year as a starter for the Bison’s in 2014 he threw for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns, and led his team to it’s 4th consecutive FCS Championship. Last year, he suffered a broken wrist. However, after coming back from his injury, in the 7 games that he played in, he threw for 1,651 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. He also added 6 running touchdowns, another FCS Championship, and was named to his second straight All-American team.
The one very encouraging thing about Wentz is that he played in a pro-style offense, playing under center, and made many NFL type throws, unlike Paxton Lynch, which is considered one of the top QB prospects. He is an accurate passer, even on his deep passes, and he plays calm and comfortable in the pocket. He does have a tendency to lock in on receivers, and also needs some work throwing the ball on the move.
Miami’s interest in Wentz likely would end if he were in the top 10 as they have too many other needs that need to be addressed. But, the fact that they have interest is interesting in itself. I believe TannehilI will certainly improve if everything is improved around him, but the question is will he play as the 18 million dollar a year QB his contract demands he play like. The only way I could see Miami taking Weintz is if they are sold on him, trade back, pick up an extra pick and use the later 2nd to get him. A good barometer on how they view Tannehill is where and if they draft a quarterback – it will be the interest interest within the interest of the 2016 Draft. What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thought about the Dolphins showing interest in drafting a QB in this upcoming draft?