Rendell: Everyone's enthused about Wentz, but let's not be hasty

WELL, IT IS DONE! The beloved Eagles picked Carson Wentz from North Dakota State with the second selection in the NFL draft to be their quarterback of the future.

They gave up almost a king's ransom in draft choices to get the second pick. Was it worth it? I'm afraid the answer is no.

I am afraid, because I hope with all my heart that Wentz turns out to be, if not a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, at least a Drew Brees or Philip Rivers.

I hope I am wrong because if the actuarial tables are right, Wentz could be the Eagles' quarterback for the rest of my lifetime, and, Carson, if you see this, winning the Super Bowl is on my bucket list.

There is some reason to be optimistic about this pick, because a ton of people whose opinion I deeply respect think Wentz will be very good. That list starts with Hall of Fame sports writer Ray Didinger who has almost never told me anything that turned out to be wrong (except several years ago when he told me the Eagles couldn't lose to a JaMarcus Russell-led Oakland team).

The list also includes Jon Gruden, who I think knows as much about quarterbacks as anyone; Ron Jaworski; and Mike Mayock. Although I somewhat discount Mayock's opinion because it almost appears that he has a man crush on Wentz. He actually said Wentz and Jared Goff were as good as last year's top QB draft picks, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota (yeah, right!).

Then why am I pessimistic? Let me count the reasons:

First, Browns coach Hue Jackson, who is supposed to be a quarterback guru, passed on the opportunity to draft Wentz, even though the Browns desperately need a quarterback for their future.

Second, Wentz was not good enough to start for the NDSU Bison until his junior year. I don't think Andrew Luck rode the bench that long at Stanford.

Third, while Wentz was injured, his team went 7-0 without him.

Fourth, the Bison play in the same division as Villanova and Penn, where many of the defensive linemen and defensive backs are slightly better than those you can find at St. Joe's Prep.

And fifth, the Rams picked Goff over Wentz, and I saw him play on TV three or four times last season, and he looked OK, but definitely not like the next Tom Brady.

Having said all of this, like any Birds fan, I am rooting for Wentz to succeed. If he turns out to be a bust, what will we do? By that time, Sam Bradford will be long gone, and Chase Daniel is clearly not the answer, so there is only one possible solution if Carson bombs out:

"Where have you gone, Tim Tebow? Our city turns our lonely eyes to you!"

I kid . . .

@GovEdRendell