Carson Wentz Option for Browns?

Earlier I wrote about trading up to nail down Jared Goff, and I still think he's the best prospect for the Browns. 

But Carson Wentz is still around.  Everybody will know a lot more about the kid after the Senior Bowl, but today I found out that I was basing my opinions on half-assed or downright crappy scouting reports.

I was ignoring most of the hype on Wentz until I heard Mike Mayock saying some great things about him, and listing him above Paxton Lynch.

Wentz has a lot going against him, starting with the fact that he played against the Little Sisters of the Poor.  This is a sore spot with me, since quarterbacks who play against weak defenses also play in weak offenses.  Truly, it's a plus if the quarterback has faced tougher competition, but it's overstated.  He will still get pressured when his offensive line fails, his receivers will still not get open or drop passes, and he still has to throw with accuracy, touch, and anticipation.  A good pass is a good pass.

He has very few starts.  That does mean a lot.  Wentz has about 1.5 seasons under his belt.  He's a fifth year Senior, but didn't start until 2014, and lost a big chunk of 2015 with a wrist injury.  The combination of his inexperience and level of competition probably mean a year (or more) in the incubator as a pro.  (Maybe not that long, if you have a strong running game, Joe Thomas, and Gordon/Benjamin/Barnidge.)

CBS Sports described Wentz's college offense as "wide open", which is misleading.  He ran a Pro Style offense with multiple reads, and changed plays at the line of scrimmage.  A lot of the time he had one tight end and two or three wide receivers, and he split time between under center and the shotgun.  The majority of his throws were short and intermediate.

So he already has experience in progressing to second, third, and maybe fourth reads (thanks CBS Sports you had me thinking he ran a freaking shotgun spread!).

Negatives have him locking onto receivers, not using his eyes to fool defenders, itchy feet in the pocket, fumbling too often, inconsistent deep accuracy.  Per CBS, he has improved with anticipation (timing throws) but still needs work.

Wentz is highly intelligent, with great retention.  Brain wise, he could be smarter than Goff, but that's not necessarily going to apply on the football field.  Still, I now know that the scouts have tape to look at, and will be able to make some educated guesses about that.

The Senior Bowl will pit him with and against pro calibre talent, under pro coaching, in pro systems.  Knowing what I know now, this week has a lot more meaning for Wentz and the teams who are considering him.

A strong performance here could water down the bidding war for the first overall pick.  For the Browns in particular, it could even make him a viable consolation prize.

He is bigger and more athletic than Goff.  He's been called a "souped up" Alex Smith (Alex is a brainy guy too).  This might turn a lot of fans off, but not me.  Wentz has a stronger arm, and doesn't mind deep throws.  All the comparison means is that he's not reckless or dumb; not that he's a system-specific game manager.  People need to get their heads out of boxes and stop assuming.

In other news, I can't keep beating the Josh Gordon drum here, but read this.  Somebody agrees.