Rams must take Jared Goff over Carson Wentz at No. 1

The Los Angeles Rams shook up the NFL world yesterday by acquiring the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft as part of a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans.

In total, the Rams received the Titans picks in the 1st round (1), 4th round (113), and 6th round (177) of this year's draft.  The cost however, was steep. In return, the Titans received the Rams:

1st round pick (15 overall)
2nd round pick (43)
2nd round pick (45)
3rd round pick (76)
1st round pick in 2017
3rd round pick in 2017

Let's be clear, almost no team goes "all in" like this unless (1) it's about a quarterback and (2) they are very clear about who they want to pick.

What that immediately suggests is that football fans should ignore all the talk from even some respectable websites implying that the Rams still have the slightest "uncertainty" about who they will pick. Such a notion is totally absurd and Head Coach Jeff Fisher's transparently sly and evasive comments yesterday about who the Rams would pick  ("We have a pretty good idea") should put that silly thought to rest.

So the real question is simply whether the Rams have fallen in love with Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. The decision is of massive importance for a franchise that is desperately seeking to make its mark in Los Angeles - a city that respects success and glamour above all and will flat-out ignore them if they stink.

If they get it right, the Rams could be absolutely huge in LA in a very short time. If they get it wrong, they will have, at the least, blown a golden opportunity to make a great first impression, and at worst, opened the door for the Chargers or Raiders to swoop in and steal the spotlight if they were to arrive.

For the sake of their franchise, let's hope they select Jared Goff over Carson Wentz.

I have already previously discussed in great detail why Jared Goff is the better quarterback prospect. Goff is more pro-ready, has played tougher competition, was the better passer in college, was more valuable to his team, and has the higher upside.

Despite the misleading media train that has led people to believe otherwise, this apparently is also a conclusion shared by decision-makers in the NFL, at least according to the NFL Network's Michael Silver, as well as those in the analytics community.

All of those considerations are doubly important now that the Rams have invested so heavily in acquiring the No. 1 pick.

The opinion here is that in the face of such overwhelming evidence there is no way the Rams are so irresponsible as to bet the house on an athletic but totally unproven player like Carson Wentz simply because he looks good throwing a football in shorts. If you think otherwise, you are just kidding yourself.

Either that, or you really have an exceptionally low opinion of Rams management. I confess I don't share that belief...at least not yet.


by Manish Pandya
Staff Editor for TheDailySportsHerald.com