Their images flashed across the screen at Microsoft Square in depressing succession, like an “In Memoriam” of failed quarterbacks. Jamie Martin. Scott Covington. Chris Chandler. Kyle Boller. Brock Berlin. Austin Davis. It was draft day, Apr. 28, 2016, and minutes later, the Rams would announce their selection of a quarterback at No. 1 overall, a decision that would determine the direction of two franchises. The faces of these anonymous signal callers were a fleeting reminder of the futility the Rams had recently suffered at the position.

So as the pick neared and the draft party in the downtown L.A. square reached a fevered pitch, buried beneath the buzz of a new quarterback’s arrival was an unspoken, undercurrent of dread that one day the name soon to be called would join them.

The stakes were high. Both the Rams and Eagles, who drafted one pick later, had spent a fortune for the right to select either Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. Despite being the draft’s consensus top quarterbacks, scouts decried both as precarious, high-risk prospects. Still, the Rams gave up six picks, including two first-rounders, and the Eagles gave up five, with two of their own firsts. They believed. Many didn’t.

“It’s hard to be great, if you don’t take some risks,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said at the time.

The Rams chose Goff. The Eagles took Wentz. In Los Angeles and Philadelphia, two strikingly different cities on opposite sides of America roared, as two new eras, forever intertwined, began.

On their way to Sunday’s crucial clash of NFC contenders, the two young quarterbacks have taken far different paths, one more circuitous than the other. Goff lost every start his rookie season, then fought back from disaster to excel in Year 2. Wentz, anointed right away as the savior of the franchise, has skyrocketed into the MVP conversation this season.

Needless to say, both draft-day risks were well worth it. The Eagles and Rams sit atop the NFL, their sophomore quarterbacks at the helm of the league’s two best offenses. Even with four games left to play, no pair of quarterbacks drafted 1-2 in league history have more combined wins (19) in their second season.

Considering their inexperience, their output this season has been extraordinary — and nearly identical. Goff has slightly more passing yards (3,184 to 3,005) and a higher completion percentage (62.2 to 60.7). Wentz has more passing touchdowns (29 to 20). Both have dominated on third down and in the red zone.

And yet, a divide remains in the public perception of the two quarterbacks. While Wentz has earned raving plaudits across the league, the praise for Goff’s turnaround has been tempered. Wentz owns the league’s top-selling jersey, and to some Eagles fans, his identity borders on folk hero. Goff, meanwhile, is still an enigma to the many who watched him struggle as a rookie.

“I’d say we’re cautiously optimistic,” says Ralph Valdez, the president of the SoCal Rams Booster Club. “You want to be excited, but at the same time, you never know.”

On Sunday, their once-divergent paths will cross at the Coliseum, and the comparisons will begin anew. For the first time, Goff and Wentz will face off, and the football world will gaze upon two quarterbacks, drafted one pick apart, who, at this point, look to be the future of the position as we know it.

“Obviously, we’ll be forever linked because of the draft and everything,” Wentz says.

“I think we’re both excited for this game.”

Former training partners

Their NFL paths began on the same field in Irvine, where Wentz and Goff both prepared for the draft with former quarterback Ryan Lindley. It was a rarity, two top quarterbacks training in the same place. But at least once a week, they threw together, trading reps on a practice field.

Both had preconceived notions to overcome. Goff came from a college spread offense and never took snaps under center. At the NFL Combine, scouts worried his hands, measured first at nine inches, were too small. Wentz, meanwhile, was unproven: a little-known prospect, who played only Football Championship Subdivision competition at North Dakota State and, due to injury, missed time as a senior.

Still, former Rams coach Jeff Fisher said then, “We came away knowing both will be extraordinary quarterbacks in this league.”

Neither seemed to have a clear path to early reps. The Eagles had signed two quarterbacks. The Rams promised not to “subject (Goff) to failure” by playing him too early. But by September, Eagles starter Sam Bradford was traded to the Vikings, and just like that, Wentz was at the helm.

He never looked back. The Eagles won their first three games, each by two touchdowns or more. The city threw its full support behind Wentz. It didn’t seem to matter that the team lost nine of its next 11 games. Sean McVay, then offensive coordinator in Washington, could see why Wentz’s game translated so quickly.

“He’s a smart player,” McVay says. “The way that he plays the game – he understands what he’s seeing from the defenses and how that affects his decision-making and what he’s going to do with the football. Then, clearly he’s got the talent.”

In Los Angeles, Goff continued to wait, as the Rams offense floundered. It wasn’t until Week 11, with the team sitting at 4-5, that he would get his chance. Unlike in Philadelphia, everything fell apart from there.

Goff went 0-7. The failure the Rams hoped to avoid came fast and furious. He was pummeled, taking 27 sacks. He was ineffective, with a completion percentage under 55 percent and seven interceptions to five touchdowns. Worst of all, he looked lost.

“Everyone was trying to have a hand in how to mold him,” Rams lineman Rodger Saffold recounts. “It was just too much going on. I don’t think he was ever able to really get comfortable.”

Goff was roundly criticized at the time. But now, as his turnaround in Year 2 has altered expectations, the lion’s share of the blame has been ascribed to Fisher and the Rams former coaching staff.

“(Rookie quarterbacks) have to know the system, and Jared didn’t even have a system the first year,” former Rams quarterback Jim Everett says. “If Carson Wentz was running that offense, people would’ve called him a bust.”

Still, as doubts lingered, Goff entered the offseason with a new coach and a new system. In Philadelphia, Wentz had full continuity in his coaches and offense — a benefit, he says now, that “was huge for me.” He was already accepted as “the leader, the face of the franchise,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson says. Continuity was a luxury Goff simply didn’t have.

When McVay interviewed for the Rams job, he met with the young quarterback for about 30 minutes. In that meeting, he sensed that Goff’s early failures hadn’t shaken his confidence. He was encouraged.

“His mental toughness,” McVay said in September, “I think that’s going to serve him well for a long time to come.”

A month earlier, in training camp, teammates sensed a shift in his attitude, too. He took command. In the huddle, he demanded respect.

Goff insists that he didn’t change anything in particular — “just be myself and be genuine,” he says — but others noticed subtle differences in his approach.

“You could just feel his presence a lot more,” Rams guard Jamon Brown says.

With McVay and the new coaching staff, a clear plan for his development had been put in place. The team fortified the offensive line and added weapons through free agency and the draft. He was surrounded by coaches with experience grooming quarterbacks, and McVay installed a multi-faceted offense that took advantage of his strengths.

Right away, the impact was clear. He was more comfortable in the pocket. His accuracy returned. He made better decisions.

“When we were scouting him a year ago, this is exactly what we saw,” Pederson said of Goff. “Obviously he is well coached there. He’s got some great minds on offense that are really just putting him in a position to be successful.”

Goff’s stunning transformation is a convincing justification for McVay’s impending Coach of the Year candidacy. But ask the first-year head coach, and he’ll place the credit squarely on his quarterback’s shoulders. He points to one drive from the Rams loss to the Seahawks as an example of his mettle.

Goff had struggled for most of the game, heading into the final minute. He’d thrown two picks and missed a handful of targets.

“A lot of guys comes into that drive, when we’ve got to have a touchdown to win the game, and they’re almost afraid to lose instead of attacking,” McVay says.

But on the drive’s first play, Goff launched a 35-yard rocket down the right hash, in between Seattle’s Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman — both All-Pro defensive backs — and connected with tight end Tyler Higbee. Ultimately, Goff fell short of leading a game-winning touchdown drive, his final pass falling just out of reach. But to McVay, the effort was fearless, nonetheless.

“That’s what’s going to give him a chance to be really special,” he says.

‘We’re going to sink or swim with him’

Inside Sage Restaurant & Lounge in Whittier, there is less certainty. A few hundred members of the SoCal Rams Booster Club have gathered to watch the Rams face the Cardinals, and while the diehards here are universally impressed with Goff’s improvement, there’s a tinge of apprehension behind their praise.

“We’re going to sink or swim with him,” says Joe Ramirez, 57. “But not everyone is fully on board yet.”

“He’s done great compared to last year,” adds Ernie Almeida, 52. “But we want to see how he handles big pressure.”

This caution is not uncommon among Rams fans, who have seen little quarterback success recently and have struggled to reason with Goff’s turnaround season. It also remains in direct contrast with how Eagles fans continue to feel about Wentz.

A few hours later, at The Britannia Pub in Santa Monica, a table of Philadelphia fans happily fawns over their quarterback, as the Eagles prepare to take on the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. The bar, known as “Eagles Nest West”, is full of No. 11 jerseys. When a Seattle defender hits Wentz late, several spring to their feet, as if their impulse was to protect him themselves.

“He’s got this personality, this character,” says Eric Graffeo, 32. “We love his toughness.”

“Our love for him is stupid right now,” adds Gabe Valente, 30. “I’m pushing for Wentz to be my firstborn’s middle name.”

For Philadelphia, they explain, it was love at first sight.

The same can’t be said for Los Angeles. Even as Goff surpasses anyone’s wildest expectations, the apprehension remains. Asked what they’re waiting to see from him, most shrug.

“Frankly, it’s tough to clear last year from people’s minds,” Everett explains. “Just give it time.”

The first true chance awaits on Sunday. The Rams and Eagles will meet, and the football world will look back on the draft that sent the 2016 draft’s top two quarterbacks to opposite coasts.

The winner will be in the NFC’s driver’s seat. But as Carson Wentz and Jared Goff continue to thrive in their second seasons, ahead of even the most optimistic expectations, it’s clear the teams who took a risk in drafting them are set to win for years to come.