Eagles get chance to show up Browns after Cleveland scoffed at drafting QB Carson Wentz
When the Cleveland Browns’ brain trust put on the college film of Carson Wentz many months ago, there was doubt. Before long, there was collective skepticism. And when they’d seen enough, there was a strong consensus among the club’s decision-makers: As a franchise quarterback and potential No. 2 pick, the Browns believed Wentz was a hard pass. So that’s what the franchise did, effectively dealing the right to take Wentz to the Philadelphia Eagles for a bundle of draft choices.
In his first NFL start as a rookie, Wentz gets to make a rebuttal statement.
This is one of the intriguing storylines taking center stage in the NFL’s opening week – two franchises disagreeing on a potentially franchise-shaping talent, now facing off in that player’s first NFL start. And with both regimes having something hanging in the balance: the Eagles hoping Wentz responds favorably to their risky decision to start him in the opener; and the Browns hoping to avoid getting instantly burned by the quarterback they finally passed over.
It’s go time for Carson Wentz on Sunday against the Browns. (AP)
This all feels like a very Browns moment. After repeatedly taking risks on tantalizing-but-flawed first-round quarterbacks (Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn and Tim Couch), the franchise finally ignored conservative logic and passed on one. And now thanks to Teddy Bridgewater’s fluke practice injury, a Sam Bradford trade has forced Cleveland to face Wentz in his first NFL start. For a tortured fan base, it feels like the setup to some familiar post-draft agony. And for this very reason, there’s some psychological importance to Sunday. The biggest move the Browns have made to date was passing on Wentz. To allow him to kick-start his rookie season would be another addition to 50-plus years of eye-rolling moments.
Cleveland’s reasons for passing on Wentz weren’t unorthodox. Indeed, at least part of the criticisms shared by Browns evaluators resonated inside other franchises. So what were they? A sizable component of Cleveland’s doubt in Wentz came down to game film, a source close to the Browns’ decision to pass told Yahoo Sports. When film rolled, evaluators were looking across the line of scrimmage in North Dakota State games and rarely saw opposing players with even fringe NFL talent. That was a significant concern.
And while Wentz played at a high level in college – and had many of the intangibles coaches look for in quarterbacks – the Browns didn’t see a franchise-changer who was consistently scorching a trail through his season. Often, when evaluators review an NFL prospect at a lower level of college football, they want to see dominance. And if that quarterback is going to be seriously considered for the No. 2 overall pick, they want to see something like Steve McNair at Alcorn State. Wentz was good, but he wasn’t that. He had some injury concerns from college, too.
At least part of that evaluation was already in place by late March, when word began to circulate at the league’s annual meetings in Boca Raton that Cleveland wasn’t overwhelmed by Wentz’s college film. Soon after, other NFL executives began to surmise that the Browns might not select a quarterback at No. 2 at all, a sign that Cleveland’s pick could be had for the right price.
Hue Jackson and the Browns took a hard pass on QB Carson Wentz in the 2016 NFL draft. (AP)
That’s where the Eagles entered, despite having signed Bradford to an extension. After moving to No. 8 overall in a trade with the Miami Dolphins, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman saw an opportunity to make a play for either Wentz or Cal’s Jared Goff, provided the coaching staff saw franchise potential in both players.
As it turned out, the Eagles had high opinions of both. But the personnel staff had liked one of the two players for longer than most – and that player was Wentz. The early driving force was senior director of player personnel Tom Donahoe, whose evaluation on Wentz went through the roof after the quarterback’s junior season at North Dakota State.
While other NFL teams were still getting acquainted with Wentz as a first-round prospect in 2015, Donahoe had already placed an elite quarterback grade on him before the player’s senior season. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Eagles franchise came around, with Donahoe’s voice playing a pivotal role in the ear of both Roseman and team owner Jeffrey Lurie.
[NFL Power Rankings: There have been some changes]
After the Los Angeles Rams moved up to No. 1 for Jared Goff in mid April, it was just a matter of the Eagles hoping the Browns didn’t share their confidence in Wentz. That, and being able to put together the right package of draft picks.
The rest is history – or in this case, prologue to Sunday, when both the Eagles and Browns will get their first chance to see which personnel evaluation was closest to the mark. Both Cleveland and Philadelphia spoke their piece with the shuffling of draft picks and rosters spots.
Now Wentz gets his first opportunity to weigh in – directly, immediately, and sooner than maybe anyone thought.
Related NFL video on Yahoo Sports: