Draft Notes: Wentz, Goff, Jack, Hackenberg, & Nkemdiche

Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an article up full of quotes from NFL scouts regarding this year’s draft class. It’s always an interesting read, and I recommend you look it over if this of interest to you.

Here are some quotes regarding a few notable players in this year’s draft class:

North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz

There has been a great deal of buzz about Wentz for sometime now, and his Combine performance only helped his chances of being the first quarterback to come off the board.

However, it appears as though some scouts would still be somewhat nervous about grabbing him high in the draft.

“He’s a big guy with a big arm,” said one scout. “The ball gets there. He’s not a scrambler per se but he has speed. He might be the most physically talented of the group. Would I be nervous with this guy? Absolutely. But if you have no quarterback at all, what do you got to lose?”

California QB Jared Goff

One NFL scout believes Goff could be the most NFL-ready of this year’s crop of quarterbacks.

“He might be the most ready,” one scout said. “Thing I don’t like is his slender build. He did not have a lot of talent around him. Does he have a great arm? No, but it’s good enough. I’d be nervous taking him above 10.”

Another scout compared Goff to Bears QB Jay Cutler based on his arm talent.

“In terms of arm talent, he’ll be like (Jay) Cutler,” another scout said. “Skinny kid. Gets hit a bunch. He doesn’t see everything. Accuracy is off at times, but he is talented. He can really spin it. Really good feet.”

UCLA LB Myles Jack

Jack received some strong praise from scouts, due in large part to his versatility and overall athleticism.

“He’s the best player in the draft,” said one scout. “He’s a slam dunk. He can play modern-day football. He ain’t never leaving the field.”

“He’s a ‘will’ but he’s kind of a freak,” said another scout. “You see him walk out to the slot and cover receivers. He can also play in the box. I’m betting he’d go in the first three rounds as a running back. He’s a much better player than Shaq Thompson a year ago. Will run in the 4.5s. He can play inside in a 3-4 but that’d be kind of a waste for him.”

Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche

Scouts are well aware of Nkemdiche’s ability, but it’s clear that the concerns regarding him could be enough for teams to shy away from taking him based solely on his talent.

“He may scare some people. He’s strange strange.” Finished with seven sacks. “He’s got as much ability as anybody, if not more,” a scout said. “Three-technique is his best position. He’s a little bit up and down, but his good plays are very, very good. But there’s some things that have to be answered and worked through.”

“His character will keep him off the board for us. He’s talented enough to be in the top 10,” said another scout. “But holy (expletive), buyer beware on this one.”

Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg

Interestingly enough, a scout tells McGinn that he believes Hackenberg could be drafted as high as end of round one.

“After his freshman year people looked at him as the first pick in the draft,” one scout said. “He could be as talented as any of these quarterbacks. He’s got the arm, the body and is actually a competitor. But the coaches there at Penn State didn’t play to his strengths. A premier type talent like that is so hard to find these days. I could see him going latter part of the first round.“