2016 NFL Mock Draft: Jared Goff selected by San Diego Chargers

Jared Goff, QB, Cal

With the 3^rd pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the San Diego (for now) Chargers select...

Jared Goff, QB, Cal!

As always, this is a long format article. If you have a short attention span and/or hate freedom, proceed directly to the tl;dr section at the bottom.

*needle scratch*

"Wait, what? Did you just discover bath salts, SCK? Don't you know Jalen Ramsey is the pick here? I've seen it in a million mock drafts! He's the most talented player in this class, and he plays at the Chargers' biggest position of need!"

And you know what? 99 days out of 100, I would pick Ramsey here. I would paraphrase some scouting reports, post a spider graph, link some GIFs, everyone's heads would nod like metronomes, and I'd be well on my way to a 99% approval rating and the Eagles pick in the 2017 community mock.

But today, my friends...is not most days.

For those of you who don't know how to read a BGN article, let me first say when I do the community mock, I pick based on what I think the team will do, not what I personally think the "smart" pick is. If I'm picking for the Cowboys, I'm going to take the guy with the longest rap sheet. If I'm picking for the Dolphins, I'm going to...not get anyone because I've given all my picks to Howie Roseman. You get the gist.

If you're at all familiar with how the Telesco/McCoy brain trust in San Diego operates, the Goff pick might confuse you even more. In the last few years, the Bolts have not just disregarded advice from the "drafting for dummies" book; they've doused it in kerosene, taken a blowtorch to it, and pissed out the ashes. Every year, they've not only gone into the draft with major roster holes (the horror!), but they then filled those holes with early need picks that had no choice but to start on day 1 (oh noes!). In 2013 they desperately needed a tackle...they drafted D.J. Fluker. 2014...CB...Jason Verrett. In 2015 they desperately needed a guy with gimpy legs who can't hold onto the ball RB...they traded up for Melvin Gordon. There's an Eric Weddle-sized hole in the Chargers' secondary, so not only is Ramsey the right pick, but he's the one the Bolts would make! You are wrongity wrong, SCK!

The leg I stand on to defend this pick is a tired but true platitude-quarterback is just a position that defies the normal NFL rules. If draft economics are Newtonian physics, QBs are light-simultaneously particle (terrible value, luxury pick, reach) and wave (smart pick, winning franchise move). Kiper can tear out his pompadour, gnash his teeth, and wildly gesture at his big board, but he knows at the end of the day as well as I do the difference between a contender and an also-ran is who's under center. And while Phil Rivers is still a sprightly 34, the Chargers are no stranger to doubling up on QBs-they did draft Rivers 4^th overall two years after drafting Drew Brees, after all.

Drafting a young QB while Rivers still has gas in the tank is a win-win proposition. If Goff takes time to develop, he'll be able to soak up tutelage from one of the most cerebral passers in the game. If he turns out to be ahead of the curve, I'm sure those "QB away" teams like the Dolphins and Rams would be lining up to trade the farm for a franchise QB like Rivers (provided they're in a good Christian city). The Osweiler situation in Denver has provided a lot of hand-wringing about the whole "draft a QB to sit him" strategy, and to that I say poppycock. If you're willing to spend a high pick on a QB, he better be a guy you're willing to give a second deal-NO HALF MEASURES.

So why Goff? It's not just because Wentz is off the board; Goff would have been the pick if the Chargers were drafting first overall. I'm actually not going to say much about Goff himself-you're all BGN readers, QB angst is in our blood, so surely you're as saturated with scouting reports, spider graphs, and game tape of "the big three" as I am. I will say Goff is Mike McCoy's kind of QB-he's coached a couple guys who make up for a lack of elite velocity (Peyton naturally, Rivers because his throwing motion is a godless abomination) with superior intellect. It's not a secret around these parts that I'm not a big fan of any of the QBs in this draft, but I think Goff would have a really good chance to thrive if brought along slowly by a QB whisperer who knows how to work around guys who don't have cannons attached to their shoulders.

So there you have it-the Chargers go against the grain and tab the second QB in the top 3, banking on a Favre-to-Rodgersesque transition at by far the most important position on the field being more valuable than a perennial pro bowler like Eric Weddle Jalen Ramsey. In the process the entire draft gets flipped on its head, which I swear was completely and totally incidental! Hope you enjoyed the read and don't forget to log into all your alternate accounts to vote this pick as the greatest one in the universe!

TL;DR: The Chargers know you're dead in the water without a franchise QB, so they forgo an immediate talent infusion at a lesser position to secure their future under center. Goff may have a noodle arm, but he's a smart QB whose physical limitations Mike McCoy can work around.

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2016 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Titans (ablesser88) - Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss - [Explanation]
2) Browns (EaglesGenius) - Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State - [Explanation]
3) Chargers (StoneColeKiller58) - Jared Goff, QB, Cal - [Explanation]
4) Cowboys (kamjam) -
5) Jaguars (drc242) -
6) Ravens (rohan915) -
7) 49ers (LAOJoe) -
8) Eagles (slickpablovick) -
9) Buccaneers (OneBucFan47) -
10) Giants (Paulie97) -
11) Bears (Kiko's Delivery Service) -
12) Saints (kylebruneault) -
13) Dolphins (wildcatlh) -
14) Raiders (Luxury_Used_Vehicles_By_Braman) -
15) Rams (NowWhat?) -
16) Lions (bri g) -
17) Falcons (thealien2696) -
18) Colts (ei78) -
19) Bills (naderg43) -
20) Jets (Quacking_Eagle) -
21) Washington (TheCoxishere) -
22) Texans (jeppsforst) -
23) Vikings (WScott151) -
24) Bengals (burkhart_b) -
25) Steelers (theaction) -
26) Seahawks (tfrank9811) -
27) Packers (3Trace) -
28) Chiefs (jawmo) -
N/A) Patriots - Cheaters
29) Cardinals (big DUB) - 
30) Panthers (zatch2k) -
31) Broncos (JALupowitz) -