Just days before the 2016 NFL Draft, former University of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch’s draft stock remains a mystery.
NFL.com’s six NFL mock draft prognosticators have the 6-foot-7 quarterback going anywhere from the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 7 pick to the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos at No. 31, the final pick in the first round. The 2016 NFL Draft, a three-day event, begins in Chicago Thursday.
While the draft experts fail to agree on what jersey Lynch will don in the NFL next season, the consensus is that he remains the third quarterback in virtually every mock draft behind California’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.
One thing to look out for Thursday is how recent trades may affect Lynch’s draft stock. The Los Angeles Rams moved up to the No. 1 pick following a trade with the Tennessee Titans. In addition, the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles also completed a trade that saw the Eagles move up to No. 2 position. With both teams needing quarterbacks and likely to take Goff and/or Wentz, Lynch may go earlier in the draft than expected.
One scenario is a team like the San Francisco 49ers could take Lynch with the No. 7 pick. Though the 49ers are not one of the 11 teams who Lynch visited with pre-draft in the past month.
Lynch’s draft stock was arguably at its peak when Memphis football started the 2015 season 8-0 and ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. He was discussed as a potential No. 1 overall pick.
However, his seven-touchdown performance against SMU in his last home game for the Blue and Gray aside, the Tigers’ late season struggles, which saw them lose four of their final five games and drop out of the AP Top 25, along with a drop in Lynch’s performance saw him slide down most NFL mock drafts.
Despite his and Memphis’ drop off, Lynch threw for 3,776 yards, 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season, setting numerous Tiger football records. Also, the Tigers’ nine wins last season meant Lynch won 19 games over his last two seasons as a starter, the most any Memphis quarterback has won in program history.
In an interview with The Daily Helmsman last month, Lynch’s agent Leigh Steinberg said he still believes Goff and Wentz are good quarterbacks, his client has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the 2016 NFL Draft and referred to leadership with Memphis last season as a huge reason why.
“Watching the way his teammates (at Memphis) respond to him and how he carries himself which is sort of one of the boys,” Steinberg said. “You get the sense that he is a natural leader. There were a series of games where he had to come from behind this year. I watched real closely. Not simply the SMU game where he threw seven touchdowns in a half, but when there’s pressure and needs to come back because that’s how pro football is.”
Former University of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch celebrates a touchdown against Ole Miss last season. Lynch is projected to be selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.
