Carson Wentz will enter the NFL Draft with a small sample size of playing time for a lower-level program, yet his old position coach is convinced he’ll thrive on the big stage.
“He’ll turn a franchise into a winner,” North Dakota State quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg said during a recent phone interview. “I’m very confident of that.”
The Browns could be believers, too. If they choose to use the second overall pick April 28 on a quarterback, Wentz or California’s Jared Goff would become the face of the franchise despite reclamation project Robert Griffin III being a likely bridge starter.
Wentz’s reputation as an anti-Johnny Manziel should only enhance his appeal to the Browns, who dumped the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft March 11 after he sabotaged his career by committing more to partying than football.
“[Wentz is a] football junkie,” said Hedberg, a former NFL quarterback. “The guy will watch video until you have to kick him out.”
He also possesses prototypical size — 6-foot-5¼ and 237 pounds — and good mobility, prompting NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock to compare him to two former No. 1 overall picks, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.
But unlike those stars, Wentz didn’t play with or compete against the best players college football had to offer. He went 20-3 as a starter the past two seasons for North Dakota State and helped the team win two of its five consecutive Football Championship Subdivision national titles. Canadian Football League quarterback Brock Jensen led it to the first three crowns.
A broken right wrist robbed Wentz of eight games this past season, but he had surgery and returned for a 37-10 win over Jacksonville State in the national championship.
Meanwhile, Goff helped Cal improve from 1-11 to 5-7 to 8-5 in three seasons as a starter at college football’s highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision. Goff, 21, is younger than Wentz, 23, and an analytics study conducted by FootballOutsiders.com concludes Goff has a 37.8 percent chance of being upper tier or elite in the NFL and Wentz has a 13.8 percent chance.
Still, there’s a widespread belief among draft analysts that the Browns would pick Wentz over the 6-4, 215-pound Goff because Wentz’s size makes him better-suited for the AFC North.
However, Hedberg believes Wentz will separate himself with other traits.
Hedberg argues North Dakota State’s pro-style offense prepared Wentz for the next level better than some no-huddle, spread systems employed by bigger schools would have. Wentz is accustomed to using complex West Coast offense verbiage to call plays in the huddle, setting the protection and making checks at the line of scrimmage as well as operating from under center.
“He’s had a hand in doing all of that at the line of scrimmage within that play-clock time,” Hedberg said. “He doesn’t look to the sideline and get a signal from a coach on the sideline.”
Wentz’s intellect helps. He has never received a grade lower than an A in a class and was valedictorian at Century High School in his hometown of Bismarck, N.D.
“We’ve all been around guys that are classroom smart, but can they put it to use on the field?” Hedberg said. “Carson does that. … The ability to process quickly at the line of scrimmage, make quick decisions — those things are going to be extreme pluses for him.”
His inexperience, though, means he may need more time to adjust to the NFL than Goff.
Wentz completed 64.1 percent of his career passes with 45 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a rating of 105.3 to go along with 216 carries for 1,028 yards and 13 touchdowns. He attempted just 612 passes. By comparison, Goff threw 1,569 passes.
North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman told NFL Network during Wentz’s March 24 pro day he has no concerns about his pupil from a physical standpoint, but the team that drafts him would be wise to “give him a chance to grow and develop … maybe not put him in the fire too quickly.”
With an NFL-high 24 starters since 1999, the Browns cycle through quarterbacks like no other.
“It’s really hard for a rookie to come in and play, but with Carson Wentz, I think it’s doable,” Hedberg said. “He played in 23 college games and one high school season at quarterback, so his upside is out of this world. So I do think he can handle that, and I would think if there’s any quarterback coming into this draft who can do it, I think he’s one.”
Wentz told NFL Network he didn’t play quarterback as a high school junior because overusing his arm as a pitcher on the baseball team caused tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. He was off the radar until his senior season and ultimately didn’t receive an FBS scholarship offer.
“I kind of missed the recruiting train,” he said.
Five years later, he’s the talk of the draft.
Browns coach Hue Jackson, associate head coach-offense Pep Hamilton and vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry watched Wentz like hawks at his pro day. He impressed during the workout just like he did at the Senior Bowl in January and the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He also has reportedly had a pre-draft visit with the organization.
Jackson coached Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Joe Flacco while he went from small-school Delaware to rookie of the year, so he’s not turned off by Wentz’s background.
“I don’t think we get concerned about the school or level of play,” Jackson said last month during the NFL owners meetings. “It’s can the guy play? … He has great stature, great ability. … He looks the part. He has all the attributes that you look for.”
Hedberg explained leadership is one of those qualities.
With an NFL career on the horizon, Wentz could have shut it down after suffering a broken wrist. Instead, he risked further injury to compete for a national title. He even broke a tackle at the 5-yard line and dived into the end zone to complete an 11-yard touchdown run.
“That tells you about his commitment to lay it on the line for his teammates,” Hedberg said. “That’s why I take my hat off to Carson Wentz.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.