2016 NFL Draft: early look at North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz

North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz has excellent size and is a good athlete for the quarterback position. He needs time to develop but shows some real potential. Wentz should get plenty of draft attention as he’s the perfect piece of clay for a NFL coach to mold.

This is a hard-nosed player who isn’t afraid to stand in the pocket against pressure or take a big hit. He plays with good balance and poise in the pocket even showing the ability to move up to avoid pressure. Wentz is a very good athlete quick enough to escape the pocket and gain some yards with his feet.

Wentz also features some savvy to his game as he knows how to use a pump fake and can throw the ball from unorthodox positions. He makes some plays that remind me a lot of Matthew Stafford in the way he changes his body and arm angle to make a throw. The clip below is an example of his savvy play:

However, Wentz’s tendency to deliver the ball side-armed is a problem. He struggles with his ball placement and touch. Wentz squares his body nicely towards the target but that side-armed release hinders his accuracy.

There are too many situations where the receiver needs to stop his route and make an adjustment to catch the football. Quarterbacks need to be able to lead their target and allow for yards after the catch.

Wentz’s deep ball also suffers because of his delivery as the majority of his throws come on a line drive. He struggles getting proper loft on the ball which would allow his target to run underneath the ball.

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These delivery issues can be corrected with coaching and practice. He’ll get better and more individualized coaching in the NFL which often makes a major difference.

It’s also important to note that Wentz plays at North Dakota State where the level of competition is less than what other quarterback prospects are facing. He needs to show that he can dominate in order to get serious draft consideration.

However, this is a very talented prospect with a chance to develop into a very good NFL quarterback.