Wentz gets a chance to show the Browns what they missed

The Cleveland Browns held the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft in April when the understanding was that the Los Angeles Rams traded for the No. 1 pick to draft Jared Goff. Instead of staying at No. 2 to select Carson Wentz, the Browns - who continue a search for a franchise quarterback - traded the pick to the Eagles.

Wentz's first start with the Eagles on Sunday will come against the team that heavily scouted him and passed on the opportunity to pick him.

"My focus is on playing them now," Wentz said. "I really don't want to address the past and everything. I'm really ecstatic I'm here, and I'm ready to go."

The "and everything" is complicated. In an interview with ESPN, Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePedosta indicated that the Browns did not think Wentz will become a top 20 quarterback in the NFL. There is much unknown about Wentz, and that's the gamble the Eagles took. Wentz has his first opportunity on Sunday to show whether the Browns made a costly oversight or a clairvoyant transaction.

"I think Carson Wentz can be whatever he wants to be," Browns coach Hue Jackson said in a conference call. "I think he's going to be a good player. But again, he's at the Philadelphia Eagles. We made a decision to not go in that direction. A lot of things are going to be written and said because we didn't. But it's going to take a little time before that decision of what we did or what anyone else did will come to fruition."

Jackson said that the Browns passed because Wentz "wasn't the right fit for us," and he added that Wentz is a "tremendous person, player, and will have a bright future."

Platitudes aside, the Browns' choice was clear upon accepting the Eagles' offer. The Eagles made it enticing for them to move down with a bounty of picks. But teams that need a quarterback don't pass on a top draft pick if they're confident he will be successful.

The Eagles held that conviction, paid the price to Cleveland, and fast-tracked Wentz to the starting lineup by trading Sam Bradford. And it seemed that each week the Eagles become more enamored with Wentz. Coach Doug Pederson arrived for work at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday and saw Wentz in the building studying film.

Wentz said he arrived at 5:15 a.m. He called extra preparation "normal" for him.

"The preparation amps up a little bit," Wentz said. "You have a little more time, a little more film on your opponent. But to me, this is just the beginning of the new normal."

Pederson does not expect a major change to the game plan with Wentz at quarterback. He said he learned from Andy Reid to stick with the plays they have been practicing all summer. The coaches will cater to Wentz's strengths - look for more quarterback runs - and they don't want to limit Wentz's inclination to throw downfield.

Wentz conceded to excitement, but he also said the stage is not too big for him. The Eagles were impressed with his maturity through the scouting process, and though he's coming from North Dakota State to Lincoln Financial Field, Wentz said he has the temperament to handle the moment Sunday.

"It's an inherent characteristic and part of my personality," Wentz said. "I don't really make things bigger than they need to be. I still view it as a football game. Don't get me wrong. It's a big deal, big moment for me. I'm excited for it. But I'm not trying to make it bigger than it needs to be. It's still just the game of football."

The last quarterback who prompted a team to pay such a hefty price to select him with the No. 2 pick was Robert Griffin III in 2012, when the Washington Redskins surrendered three first-round picks to land him. Griffin led Washington to the NFC East title as a rookie before fizzling out during the next three seasons, leading to his offseason release. The Browns signed him before the draft and will start him on Sunday against the Eagles. Griffin's message to Wentz after his experience in Washington was to lead by example.

"Show everybody. Don't tell everybody. Show everybody what you can do in the film room, on the practice field, in the game," Griffin said. "Let the rest fall where they may. That was my focus coming in. It wasn't how many picks the team gave up."

That's the approach Wentz has tried to take. And if Pederson needed any assurances, he got them when the coach arrived for work Wednesday before many alarm clocks went off in the Philadelphia area and the 23-year-old had already put in 30 minutes of film study.

"That's just the type of person, and that's the type of quarterback that we have," Pederson said. "That's the type of guy that we knew we have in Carson Wentz. The way he led the huddle on Monday at practice, just what he's done in the last couple days, [and] just getting himself ready to go, just shows you the type of leader and the type of person that he is."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm