Goff to L.A., Wentz to Philly: How they became the top two picks in 2016

The top two picks in a draft are rarely quarterbacks. They also seldom lead playoff-bound teams in only their second season. And they definitely don't come with origin stories like Jared Goff and Carson Wentz have, who shared an agent and trained together before the 2016 NFL draft. Goff's Los Angeles Rams host Wentz's Philadelphia Eagles at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).

The Eagles are 10-2, rank first in point differential and are averaging an NFL-leading 30.08 points per game. The Rams are 9-3, rank second in point differential and are averaging an NFL-leading 30.08 points per game. Goff and Wentz represent the seventh quarterback pair to be selected first and second overall since 1967 and will soon become only the fifth of those to meet head-to-head.
Goff, a gifted downfield passer, went to a Rams team that had just moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles and traded up from No. 15 to No. 1 to have the chance to draft him. He rode the bench early, struggled late and then got a new head coach in Sean McVay who helped launch his career. Goff now sports a 98.4 passer rating and is averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.
Wentz, a wizard outside the pocket, went to an Eagles team that looked primed for contention and traded up twice, from No. 13 to 8 to 2 to get him. He thrived immediately, then took his Dennis Rodman Jersey lumps in the back half of his rookie season and now looks like an MVP candidate while throwing for an NFL-leading 29 touchdowns and sporting a 72.5 Total QBR.
Leading up to their first meeting as pros, we took a look back at the pre-draft process and told that story from the accounts of those who experienced it. The Charles Clay Jersey four executives directly involved -- for the Rams, Eagles, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns -- declined interviews. But several others shared their memories of the 2016 draft.
Goff and Wentz worked side-by-side in their competition to become the No. 1 pick. They not only became the first 1-2 quarterback combo to share an agent -- Ryan Tollner -- but they trained together in the lead-up to the draft. Three days a week, they would take the field, alternating snaps and http://www.starsofficialauthentic.com/Valeri_Nichushkin_Jersey_Adidas matching throws.
With North Dakota State advancing to the FCS championship game, Wentz arrived in California to begin training a week later than Goff and was itching to catch up.
Ryan Lindley, former NFL quarterback who trained Wentz and Goff: "I want to say [Wentz] took a red-eye right after they played their championship game and came right out to Orange County from Texas and wanted to get going. I was like, 'Hey, man, you're coming off wrist surgery not even eight weeks earlier, came off playing a football game the day before. We can take a couple days off.' But he wanted to get right to work. And I think it irked him a little bit that Jared already had a week up."
Wentz: "We had just Tyler Johnson Jersey finished winning our fifth national championship there, and I knew I was already a couple weeks behind, kind of that pre-draft prep and everything, so I was ready to get it going. I just got out there as quickly as I could." Goff: "I met him. Immediately, right away, you can tell what type of worker he is."
Wentz: "Jared and I, we threw on the field together a couple times a week. But we had our own private film sessions with our quarterbacks coach and everything and kind of did our own thing. It was just good to be around him."
Lindley: "I mean, obviously Jared took it seriously and knew it was a big deal and was excited to work with us. But once Carson got there, you knew there was a bar being set, and each one wanted to jump the other each day and raise it even higher. ... You put two alphas in a cage, they're going to put their hair up and be a little bit on edge, go after it a little bit." Wentz: "He can throw the ball well. He had a lot of arm talent. And he's a great dude. We got along great."
Weather -- and even the simulation of weather -- played a role in how the draft process unfolded. A North Dakota blizzard on March 24 kept 14 teams from attending Wentz's pro day. Only http://www.officialbengalsfootballproshop.com/WOMENS_YOUTH_CEDRIC_OGBUEHI_JERSEY.html one head coach, the Cleveland Browns' Hue Jackson, was in attendance. "Divine intervention," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, looking up to the heavens. California rain proved to be a key ingredient in the Rams' courtship of Goff. The skies opened over Berkeley prior to their private workout with the Cal quarterback, setting precisely the scene they needed. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap NHL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys Custom