Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman Tied to Carson Wentz

Now that the dust has settled and the Philadelphia Eagles have their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, all eyes will be on Howie Roseman.

Outside of the Los Angeles Rams, who traded all the way up to the number one overall pick to draft former Cal quarterback Jared Goff, the Philadelphia Eagles made the biggest splash in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The impact was huge. The risk was even bigger.

The Eagles started with the 13th overall pick in the draft, but Eagles Executive Vice President of Football Operations Howie Roseman worked his magic to acquire the eighth overall pick. After he acquired the eighth overall pick, Roseman once again showed his ability to make big moves and he made a trade that will transform the franchise to acquire the second overall pick.

The fuel behind the trades, moving all the way from 13th overall pick in the draft to the number two overall pick, was for FCS North Dakota State quarterback, Carson Wentz.

Wentz, who only started two seasons at North Dakota State, started 23 collegiate games. In those 23 games, Wentz shined and showed legitimate NFL potential. It is worth noting that Wentz did not even play the quarterback position until his senior year of high school, which led to his under-recruitment. He will always have the ‘small school’ knock, but North Dakota State was doing big things offensively with Wentz at the helm.

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North Dakota State ran a pro-style offense that allowed him to make NFL reads. Goff, who went one pick before Wentz, may have played at a big time FBS school, but his offense, the ‘Bear Raid Offense,’ was not even close to the complex offense Wentz mastered during his time as a Bison.

While leading his team to back-to-back FCS National Championships (where he won MVP in both of those games), Wentz needed to make high-low reads as well as left to right reads, which is becoming rare in today’s college football. There was no signals to set protection, Wentz did that on his own, and the plays weren’t called with only half the field to read. Wentz showed great command of his offense and is known for having Andrew Luck like brains.

Along with his brains and ability to run the pro-style offense, Wentz has tremendous arm talent.

It may be a cliche, but he can make all of the big time NFL throws. His arm may never be the strongest, but his arm strength will never be under question. He is able to put zip behind his passes and is able to fit the ball into tight coverage.

His arm strength is good, but his accuracy is great.

Wentz has the rare ability to beat perfect coverage with the perfect throw. He puts the ball where it needs to be in order for his wide receivers to make plays and shows great touch when he needs to use it. He throws with great anticipation and allows plays to develop as he sits in the pocket.

“They’re passionate here. They hate losing. I’m like, ‘Heck, I fit right in.’ I hate losing. I’m real passionate about the game, as well.” -Wentz

Along with his great accuracy, Wentz has great athletic ability for the position. He will never be Robert Griffin III with his athleticism, but more of a poor mans Cam Newton with the way he can move around the pocket and extend plays. Like Newton, Wentz will move around and look for an open receiver before he thinks of tucking the ball and taking off, but once he knows there is no one open, he has the ability to make big plays with his feet.

Adding on to everything I just stated, Wentz has a trait that you either have or don’t have; love for the game. You can tell that Wentz loves the game of football and that love allows you to try and be the best player you can be.

During his Eagles introductory press conference (transcribed by PhillyVoice Staff at PhillyVoice), Wentz was asked,

"“Doug Pederson said that you bleed winning. Where does that competitive spirit and the work ethic come from? Where did you get that from?”Wentz said,“I think first and foremost, it’s how I’m wired. If I’m not the best at something, it kind of ticks me off and I want to work my tail off to be the best.”"

Wentz was also asked,

"“Your coach, Doug Pederson, played here and he coached here. What did he tell you that you have to brace yourself for here in Philadelphia?”He responded with,“We haven’t gotten real deep with things yet, just kind of been hitting it off well. But yeah, I mean, everyone has just been telling me about how passionate everybody is. Talking last night to the media again, I just said, you know, ‘They’re passionate here. They hate losing.’ I’m like, ‘Heck, I fit right in.’ I hate losing. I’m real passionate about the game, as well. I think that’s the general consensus that I keep getting from this Philadelphia area.”"

Now, I understand this all sounds great, but Wentz needs to produce in the NFL.

He needs to prove that he was worth the Eagles giving up Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, 13th overall pick, eighth overall pick, 77th overall pick, 100th overall pick, 2017 first round pick and their 2018 second round pick just to acquire him.

This all sits on one mans shoulders, Roseman. He will be the one who gets all the credit or takes all the blame for this move.

There is no secret that Roseman struggled at times as the Eagles General Manager. He struggled so much that owner Jeffery Lurie was okay with former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly throwing him to the curb and demoting him.

Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman’s Legacy Depends On Carson Wentz

By Jeremy Klump | May 3, 2016

Now that the dust has settled and the Philadelphia Eagles have their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, all eyes will be on Howie Roseman.

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