With the seventh pick of the 2016 draft, 49ers GM AnkenyChiefsFan selects ...
North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz
Trent Baalke, general manager, and new head coach Chip Kelly were shocked to have no QB’s taken within the first seven picks, and to have both of the top quarterbacks available with their pick.
Having traded away Colin Kaepernick to the Denver Broncos, the 49ers find themselves without a quality starter for the most important position on the field. So, who to take, Jared Goff out of Cal or Carson Wentz out of NDSU? It comes down to the preference of Chip Kelly, who I believe would prefer to see the more mobile QB in his offensive scheme: Carson Wentz.
The Bison were sorry to see this strong-armed, 6’5, 237 pound quarterback graduate this year and head off to the NFL. Wentz led the Bison to their fifth straight FCS football championship this year, after coming back from a broken wrist earlier in the season. Wentz had also quarterbacked the Bison to a championship the year before. His record as a starting QB for the Bison was 20-3. In those games he went 392 of 612 for a completion percentage of 64.1 percent, for 5,115 yards and 45 touchdowns, with 1,028 yards of rushing in those 23 games.
Wentz is an exceptional athlete, with an excellent frame, that can take some punishment. He is as intelligent as he is athletic, able to recognize defenses and audible to a favorable matchup at the line. He is able to look off coverages and doesn’t lock in on one receiver. He’s good at moving in the pocket, and scrambling for extra yards when protection breaks down, but he keeps his eyes down field as he scrambles in case a receiver breaks open. He does occasionally have a tendency to force some throws, which can lead to turnovers.
CBS Sports says that his closest NFL comparison is …. wait for it…. Alex Smith, but they admit that he is more physically able than Alex Smith, and with a stronger arm. With his intelligence on and off the field (graduating with a 4.0), his work ethic, and his athletic tools, Carson Wentz will turn into a franchise quarterback for the 49ers. He will not likely reach the heights of Joe Cool or Steve Young, though he is more gifted athletically than either. But this is a pick that will likely set up the 49ers as a perennial contender for a division championship, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and after some seasoning, perhaps even higher.
1. Titans - OT Laremy Tunsil
2. Browns - OT Ronnie Stanley
3. Chargers - CB Jalen Ramsey
4. Cowboys - DE Joey Bosa
5. Jaguars - LB Myles Jack
6. Ravens - DL DeForest Buckner
7. 49ers - QB Carson Wentz