1. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Full write-up here
As with every rookie quarterback, there's a whole heck of a lot of moving parts here. How Los Angeles utilizes Goff will play a major role here, as will the team's ability to add elite-level talent around him. Without a first-round pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018, that's going to be incredibly hard for the team to do through the draft.
We also have to take into account the Rams' division. We've already talked about Arizona and Seattle, but the San Francisco 49ers now come into play here. San Francisco added a bunch of studs on defense over the past two drafts, a clear indication this unit is going to be vastly improved moving forward. This means six games against really good defenses within the division.
With all this said, we can't really go too far into detail regarding how all this is going to play out three years from now. What we do know is that Goff was the most pro-ready and talented quarterback in the draft. With a strong running game behind him, the quarterback should perform well relatively early in his career. He's a QB1 from the 2016 NFL Draft class and likely the third-best rookie dyno add behind Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry.
2. Paxton Lynch, Denver Broncos
Full write-up here
If all goes according to plan in Denver, Lynch will find himself as a top-10 fantasy quarterback in the not-so-distant future. It's all about how the team decides to bring him along and whether he progresses at the levels we saw during his college career.
We have Lynch as the second-best dyno quarterback in this class behind Goff. The primary reason for this is the advanced amount of weaponse he has in Denver and what has to be considered a quarterback-friendly scheme under Gary Kubiak.
Lynch's mobility and ability to put up yards as well as scores on the ground come in handy here. And in reality, that really narrawed the gap between Goff and him.
What we are looking at here is fantasy relevance starting in 2017 at the earliest. Someone that can come in after being given the time to learn the nuances of the NFL game and be a top-10 fantasy quarterback on a consistent basis. His ceiling moving forward is likely just that, a top-10 fantasy quarterback.
3. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Full write-up here
There's definitely a lot to like here in terms of the situation Wentz was put into. If he's truly the quarterback of the future, there's a ton of talent on Philadelphia's roster to prop him up. Young pass catchers Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor (1,280 combined receiving yards in 2015) should form a solid duo moving forward.
The presence of tight end Zach Ertz will also be big, especially as it relates to Wentz's skill-set. With an ability to escape the pocket and make something out of nothing, the quarterback will likely be able to find Ertz down the seam.
Lost in all the talk about Wentz not starting immediately is the fact that he will have a franchise left tackle in Lane Johnson once he does take over under center. And if Jason Peters is still dominating at that spot, Wentz will then have two elite level tackles. This is a huge deal for young quarterbacks.
Despite this, I still have Wentz as my third-best dynasty quarterback from this class, behind Jared Goff andPaxton Lynch.
4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Full write-up here
The reason we have Prescott so high in our rookie rankings is rather simple. There's a clear path to him becoming the Cowboys quarterback of the future. Even if he holds up from an injury standpoint, it's highly unlikely Romo will play more than three more years. This gives Prescott, as the only viable young quarterback on the roster, a clear path to the starting job.
It's going to be all about him working under Romo and fixing the issues we saw during his college career. He couldn't have a better teacher on and off the field, which definitely plays a role here. In reality, Prescott's dynasty outlook, two-to-three years down the road, is really nice.
5. Connor Cook, Oakland Raiders
Full write-up here
Not much here either. Cook's best outlook when it comes to the dynasty lens is to sit behind Carr for a couple seasons and find a potential starting job elsewhere via a trade. Short of Carr completely regressing, Cook wasn't brought on to challenge him for the starting job. It was all about bringing in a potentially capable backup with extreme mid-round value. Should Cook show his stuff in preseason over the next couple years, I am pretty sure other teams will come calling.
Though, that's not necessarily something you can bank on. Still a rosterable option in big dyno leagues because of his ceiling. Just not someone to even consider playing a role until he actually has a clear path to a starting job.
6. Cody Kessler, Cleveland Browns
Full write-up here
We can expect Browns head coach Hue Jackson to put Kessler in a position to succeed over the long run. That shouldn't be an issue.
The larger question here is Kessler's ceiling and the Browns' own commitment towards him. While the team isn't going to throw away a third-round pick, there's a possibility Cleveland decides to go quarterback with one of its two first-round picks next April. That would create a situation in which Kessler would be nothing more than a backup. In reality, his path to being a franchise signal caller isn't clear right now.
Kessler's ceiling, as mentioned above, is also an issue. He simply doesn't have the arm talent to be anything more than a lesser version of Alex Smith. That would make Kessler nothing more than a top-25 fantasy quarterback, bordering on being rostered altogether in 12-team leagues.
7. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots
Full write-up here
There's little doubt that New England is building a plan of succession for Brady. We have no idea when that it going to come to pass, as Brady himself continues to play at a high level. But he isn't going to be donning the Patriots colors forever.
Brissett is definitely worth a chance in rookie drafts, but Garoppolo will be given that first four-game opportunity to prove to the Patriots that he's the guy moving forward. Couple that with a still raw skill-set, and there are definitely a lot of unknowns here.
What we do know is that the Pats put their players in the best position to succeed. We also know that if Brissett shows his stuff in the preseason over the next two-to-three years, the team will not hestitate moving him in a trade. All this is an indication that Brissett could be somewhat valuable three-plus years down the road. That's a late-round pick in rookie pool drafts.
8. Cardale Jones, Buffalo Bills
Full write-up here
I wanted to put Jones higher in our rankings. It's just something I couldn't do with the small amount of experience has has at a high level in college. The talent is surely there, but a lack of game tape coupled with the presence of Taylor in Western New York pushed Jones down in the in the rankings.
With that said, the upside is nearly unlimited here. Jones boasts the talent to be a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He also has a floor that suggests he could be out of the league in two years. It's the perfect projection pick. Take him late in rookie pool drafts and taxi him for a couple years. At that point, you should have a better idea of where he stands in the NFL. Highest upside of any non Day 1 pick in the draft. That's pretty clear.
9. Christian Hackenberg, New York Jets
Fully write-up here
Projection on top of projection. If Hackenberg is able to fix his mental issues, primarily his pocket awareness, that will be the first step in a process of maturation needed for him to become a viable NFL quarterback. He'd then have to take on the mechanical issues, something that will help with what has been disastrous inaccuracy in the past.
These are some rather lofty steps for the former Penn State quarterback. Young signal callers with one area to work on struggle enough. Now add in all of Hack's weaknesses, and all we can do is project years down the road.
If he were to fix these issues, there's a chance Hackenberg could turn into an average starter in the NFL. That's a lot working against him right there.
As of right now, we have Hackenberg as the ninth-best dynasty quarterback from this draft class. That pretty much tells you where we are at with him.
10. Jeff Driskel, San Francisco 49ers
Full write-up here
Projection, projection, and more projection. The talent is most definitely there for Driskel to have some sort of a NFL career. His horrendous (and I mean bad) tape at Florida will throw many for a loop. It did for me. And while Driskel performed well at Tech, it's important to note he did so against less-than-stellar competition.
There are just too many factors that need to work in Driskel's favor for him to be considered a draftable commodity in rookie pool drafts.
He has the coach in Chip Kelly to help him work through these issues. He also has a first-round skill set. Those really can't be denied. It's now all about Driskel working on the many issues he has, most of which will make for a hard learning curve at the next level. If that happens, there's a chance San Francisco got a steal here. It still doesn't make Driskel even worthy of a conversation in the fake football world right now.