With the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select ... North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.
Shocker, right? Not quite. Everyone has pretty much known this was going to be the pick since the Eagles traded five draft picks, including a 2017 first round selection, to the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 2. Now it's official: Wentz is an Eagle.
Wentz comes to Philadelphia as the highest drafted quarterback since Donovan McNabb was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Under Andy Reid's tutelage, McNabb went on to be one of the best quarterbacks in Eagles history. Philadelphia hasn't had a legitimate franchise passer since McNabb was traded away in 2009. The Eagles are hoping Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson can replicate the success McNabb and Reid had during the early 2000's.
Despite being picked behind Cal's Jared Goff, some draft experts consider the 23-year-old Wentz to be the best quarterback prospect from this draft class. Wentz has great size at 6-5, 237 pounds. He's also very athletic. Mike Mayock has compared Wentz to former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck. Mayock has also explained why Eagles fans will love Wentz. Greg Cosell of NFL Films has said that Wentz is more talented than the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2015 NFL Draft: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.
Of course, it's not all positive with Wentz. BGN draft writer Ben Natan has previously highlighted his weaknesses. Wentz only attempted 612 passes in college so there are concerns about his small sample size. Playing at a Division I FCS school might mean he's not ready to play in the NFL right away.
Speaking of, it's expected Wentz won't play a lot (if at all) as a rookie. The Eagles are insisting that Sam Bradford is the team's starting quarterback despite the fact he's requested a trade. Whether Bradford returns or not, veteran backup Chase Daniel is expected to be ahead of Wentz on the depth chart.
Wentz will be the Eagles' starting quarterback one day, however. He's the new face of the franchise. The Eagles are counting on him to lead them to a bright future.
Here's a scouting report on Wentz via NFL.com.
Strengths - Tall with an athletic, proportional build that is made for the NFL position. Played in a pro-style attack with plenty of snaps under center. Asked to make NFL throws and showed he could do it. Stands tall in the pocket and delivers with a relatively high release point. Keeps ball high and tight in the pocket and can uncork it quickly with tight, sharp release and little wasted motion. Throws catchable ball with tight spiral. Naturally accurate passer. Sees lurking linebackers underneath and throws receivers open to safest spot in the passing window. Able to change arm slots and still throw a strike. Has plus deep ball accuracy and touch. Calm in pocket and has no problems sitting in and taking a hit to complete a pass. Excelled in structured passing attack that required him to read the entire field. Has athleticism to escape pressure and hurt defenses with his legs. Already able to feel pressure on the edges and slide around in pocket without dropping his eyes. Adept in play-action game at selling fakes and quickly finding safeties to help determine where to go with the ball. Intelligent with long list of academic achievements. Should be able to process and handle an NFL playbook quickly. Can play pitch and catch all day long against zone coverage.
Weaknesses - When rolling out, will float it a little too much when taking shots down the field. Allows passing windows to close quickly when he short arms his release. Needs a little more consistency on anticipatory throws outside the hash. Will get caught locking in on target bringing secondary charging in to make a play on the ball. Inconsistent footwork from the pocket. Arm gets ahead of his feet even with time to come to balance. Needs to pick up pace of his post-snap setup. Has to put a little extra air on his field-side throws. Can be a little flat with his downfield, touch throws. Has to eliminate the occasional nonchalant throw into tight quarters. Doesn't look comfortable yet with bootleg rollouts to the left. Broke a bone in his throwing wrist in October sidelining him for eight weeks. Dealt with arm and shoulder injuries as a baseball player in high school. Lower level of competition could cause issues for him adapting to NFL speed.Bottom Line - With a body type that is as prototypical as they come and a background in reading the entire field and working through progressions, Wentz will immediately check a couple of boxes that many college quarterbacks won't be able to check. While his arm strength is OK, he can still make all the throws and he can make them with accuracy. His ability to escape pressure and pick up first downs with his feet will be yet another check mark in his favor. Wentz is still in a developmental phase after just two years at an FCS program, but has the mental and physical building blocks of a future, franchise quarterback.
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Eagles remaining needs
Running back
Offensive line
Cornerback
Wide receiver
Eagles remaining draft picks
1st (2) - Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
3rd (79) -
5th (153) -
5th (164) -
6th (188) -
7th (233) -
7th (251) -
Click here for the entire 2016 NFL Draft order.
2016 NFL Draft schedule
Thursday, April 28 - 8:00 PM EST (Round 1 - 10 minutes per pick)
Friday, April 29 - 7:00 PM EST (Round 2 - 7 minutes, Round 3 - 5 minutes)
Saturday, April 30 - 12 PM EST (Rounds 4-6 - 5 Minutes Per Pick, Round 7 - 4 Minutes Per Pick)
TV schedule: NFL Network and ESPN.