7) Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
I’m chuckling at how poorly received this opinion will be.
Yes, I’ve heard the 10,000 reports connecting the Eagles and Carson Wentz. I just find them to be incredibly dubious and completely uncharacteristic of the Eagles. Howie Roseman operates incredibly stealthily; ergo, allowing massive leaks that the team is swooning over a particular player likely entails an ulterior motive.
I just don’t buy it.
In fact, I’m not sure how much the Eagles like any of the QB prospects in this draft, but I tend to believe that it’s not Wentz. Paxton Lynch makes more logical sense (all things considered). I’m not going to go into specifics regarding Lynch and Wentz — that’s a post for next week — but I really like what Lynch brings to the position. He’s smart, athletic, mobile and has a big arm. Lynch has lapses in ball placement, and is still developing in a few phases, particularly in the way he manages the pocket. Still, I think he’s the best QB in the class, and has the most achievable upside. He’ll take some time to develop, but at 8 overall I’d be willing to take the dive. His skill set is pretty diverse, and doesn’t preclude anything like a Jared Goff would. In my opinion, Lynch could function similarly to the way that Donovan McNabb did in Reid’s offense once upon a time.
Next: Corey Coleman