2016 Los Angeles Rams NFL Mock Draft: Post Senior Bowl

With the conclusion of the Senior Bowl, we are just one step closer to the 2016 NFL Draft. There is still a lot of debate as to what the Los Angeles Rams will do. Will they take a wide receiver, quarterback, or will they go offensive line in the first round? Thankfully there’s still a lot of time to officially decide, but for the time being, here is our 2016 Los Angeles Rams first round NFL mock draft post-Senior Bowl.

With the 15th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams select…Paxton Lynch, QB, University of Memphis

In most mock drafts North Dakota quarterback Carson Wentz as well as Ole Miss wide receiver Laquan Treadwell are both gone, sometimes even in the top ten. With that said, the Rams will either have to trade up to get one, or settle for the second best receiver or an offensive lineman.

While the Rams do need offensive line, it is a need that they can fill in the second round. They aren’t in need of an elite tackle prospect, they need a center and a guard. Meanwhile, after Treadwell, there isn’t a wide receiver worth taking until the end of the first round.

With Wentz and Treadwell both off the board, there is a good chance that Paxton Lynch or Jared Goff fall to them at 15. The Rams are in desperate need of a quarterback. With the move to Los Angeles, they are going to need a face of their franchise, and drafting a quarterback like Lynch in the first round does just that.

Lynch started 39 consecutive games to end his caeer after taking the field as a reshirt freshman. He had 28 touchdowns and four interceptions in the regular season, completing 66.8 percent of his passes and is best known for upsetting Ole Miss in a game in which he was 39 of 53 for 384 yards and three touchdowns.

At 6’7, Lynch has great size  and shows his athleticism with impressive mobility. Lynch is definitely a project and probably won’t be ready to start day one. However, with Foles and Keenum on the roster, it would give Jeff Fisher the ability to wait on Lynch and allow him to learn the game from the sidelines for a couple of weeks.

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Fisher has allowed rookies such as Greg Robinson, Aaron Donald, and Todd Gurley to sit at least a couple of games in the past which has allowed them to learn the game. This is a scenario that would benefit Lynch.

According to CBS Sports with continued development, Lynch could be this year’s version of Blake Bortles in regards that he is a prospect from a non-Power 5 conference who checks a lot of boxes for NFL evaluators in an average quarterback class.

Fisher wants someone like Steve McNair,  who is efficient and doesn’t turn the ball over. He likes someone who will complement a running game, that can run play-action, and convert third downs. Lynch fits that mold. He has the athleticism to bootleg out and run, and his interception numbers were very low. Last year, Fisher got his Eddie George in Todd Gurley, and this year he could get the franchise quarterback he’s been looking for in Lynch.