Top five picks in 2016 draft: Carson Wentz a better fit in L.A.?

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This is the final installation from the five reporters who cover the teams that had top-five selections in this year’s draft for ESPN NFL Nation, taking a closer look at an issue collectively.

Today, we identify a second choice their teams could have chosen in the first round instead of the player selected last Thursday.

1. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee Titans): The only other real option for the Rams after trading up to No. 1 was quarterback Carson Wentz. In a lot of ways, Wentz made plenty of sense for the Rams. He has the size and experience in a pro-style offense that seemed to be an ideal fit for what the Rams do offensively, and it didn’t hurt that coach Jeff Fisher had experience working with a small-school quarterback making the adjustment to NFL-caliber competition. In fact, the Rams really liked Wentz and vetted him thoroughly along with Jared Goff. But in the end, they believed Goff’s ability to deliver in the face of pressure, take care of the ball and light it up in the red zone made him the right choice. Although Wentz was originally a consideration, Goff was the target from the moment the Rams traded up to the first pick. — Nick Wagoner

2. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland Browns): With the No. 2 pick, there probably was no other option for the Eagles, unless the Rams took Wentz and they were left with Goff. They were prepared for that, but there’s no way they part with the draft picks it took to move up for anything but a quarterback. That said, if I was the Eagles GM with the No. 2 pick, I would have been very tempted to grab Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa or Jalen Ramsey at that spot. If you decided to give Sam Bradford $35 million over two years, for example, you could make the case that Elliott would give Bradford the best chance to succeed on offense. The fact that NFC East rival Dallas took him stings a little bit. By the same logic, giving new defensive coordinator …

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