We're bringing you college highlights of the top quarterback prospects entering the 2016 NFL Draft based on Mike Mayock's top five position-by-position post-combine rankings.
CARSON WENTZ, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Height: 6-5, Weight: 237
OVERVIEW FROM NFL.COM
In his first year as a starter for the Bison in 2014, all Wentz did was throw for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns, leading the team to its fourth consecutive FCS Championship. What did the Bismarck, N.D. native do for an encore? Just come back from a broken right wrist that sidelined him for two months to lead NDSU in a fifth-straight title game victory. He started seven games in his senior year, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,651 yards and 17 touchdowns (and four interceptions) while also running for six scores. Intelligence and work ethic are no issues for Wentz, who was named to the College Sports Information Directors Association All-American squad for the second-straight year.
**Full Draft Bio >>**
OVERVIEW FROM NFL.COM
Instead of following the path of his father, Jerry, to major league baseball (played catcher for three teams over six seasons), Goff starred as a high school quarterback in the Bay Area. Cal coaches put him right into the fire in 2013, and he answered the challenge as the school's first-ever freshman opening weekend starting quarterback. The honorable mention All-Pac-12 pick (18 TD, 10 INT) set school records for passing yards (3,508), passes completed (320), and passes attempted (531) on a 1-11 team lacking great talent. He suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in the "Big Game" against Stanford that year, but managed to return for the 2014 spring game. In fact, he started all 12 games as a sophomore, completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,973 yards and 35 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. Goff capped his career at Cal with a first team All-Pac-12 season, starting every game and setting conference records with 4,719 passing yards and 43 touchdowns on the year. The Bears also won their first bowl game since 2008 when Goff threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns when they took out Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Even before that victory, however, Goff decided to move on to the professional ranks after the season as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft. **Full Draft Bio >>**
PAXTON LYNCH, MEMPHIS
Height: 6-7, Weight: 244
OVERVIEW FROM NFL.COM
Lynch was lost a bit in the recruiting process after sitting out half of his senior season due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason, allowing Memphis head coach Justin Fuente to nab the Florida product from the under the noses of in-state schools. He redshirted his first year on campus, but then stepped in to become a three-year starter for Fuente. Lynch went through some ups and downs in his first year as a starter, throwing nine touchdowns against 10 interceptions and completing just 58 percent of his passes for about 2,000 yards in 2013. He improved greatly as a sophomore, leading his team to a 10-win season and American Athletic Conference championship. He received second team All-AAC honors that season by completing 63 percent of his passes for 3,031 yards and 22 scores. Lynch exploded onto the national scene during his junior year, garnering a Manning Award finalist nod, first team All-ACC honors, and team MVP after leading the Tigers to an 8-0 start before the team struggled down the stretch losing to Navy, Houston, and Temple. During the teams hot streak, Lynch beat SEC foe Ole Miss with a 39-for-53, 386-yard, three-touchdown performance. But the next time he faced a SEC defense, Auburn took him to task in the Birmingham Bowl, forcing him to complete just 16 of 37 pass attempts for a measly 106 yards and an interception. Despite finishing the season on a down note, the departure of Fuente for Virginia Tech and positive accolades received from the NFL scouting community led Lynch to take his talents to the next level. **Full Draft Bio >>**
CONNOR COOK, MICHIGAN STATE
Height: 6-4, Weight: 217
OVERVIEW FROM NFL.COM
Cook was the most intriguing senior quarterback prospect heading into the 2015 season, and he did not disappoint in his final campaign. He had already secured a place among the best quarterbacks in MSU history, throwing for nearly 6,000 yards, and tossing 46 touchdowns versus 14 interceptions in his sophomore and junior years -- garnering second team All-Big Ten honors both seasons. In 2015, he captured the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Big Ten Quarterback of the Year Award, leading the Spartans to a spot in the College Football Playoff by throwing for 3,131 yards and 24 touchdowns (throwing seven picks). Cook completed just 56 percent of his passes as a senior, however, down from 58.7 percent and 58.1 percent the previous two years. The Ohio native also fought off a shoulder injury, missing the win over Ohio State, but returning to help his team win their second Big Ten championship in three years. Cook won the MVP award in both the 2013 and 2015 Big Ten Championship Games.
**Full Draft Bio >>**
OVERVIEW FROM NFL.COM
Rayne Dakota "Dak" Prescott proved himself to be an excellent college quarterback in 2014, breaking all sorts of school records (4,435 yards of total offense, 27 touchdown passes, 61.6 completion percentage), named a finalist for the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien, Manning, and Unitas Golden Arm awards and helping his team to a 10-3 record. The two-time first team All-SEC pick ended up with 38 MSU records after a senior year where he won the Senior CLASS Award as the top scholar-athlete on and off the field. Prescott led the team in passing (3,793 yards, 66.2 completion percentage, 29 TD, five INT) and rushing (588 yards, 10 scores) for the second straight year in 2015, joining Tim Tebow as the only two players in SEC history to accomplish that feat. Prescott got on the radar as a redshirt freshman in 2012, playing as a red-zone quarterback, scoring four times as a passer and four as a runner. The next year, he started seven games in two-quarterback system (Tyler Russell), throwing with 1,940 yards, and 10 touchdowns (seven INT), missing two games with an elbow injury. Just two days after his pro day, Prescott was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. **Full Draft Bio >>**
