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The last time the Philadelphia Eagles drafted a high-profile player out of Division I-AA, now FCS, football, they only needed to go across town to grab Brian Westbrook from Villanova in the 2002 third round. They did not regret that move, nor will they regret the latest dip into the second level of college football by picking Carson Wentz of North Dakota State at No. 2 overall on Thursday night.
If there were any reservations about the Eagles picking Wentz from the talking heads it was due to level of competition, but the Eagles, above all other teams, should know better. Westbrook won the 2001 Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, and the head coach who picked him, Andy Reid, had no doubts about his ability because he lived in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova at the time. Westbrook justified that confidence with eight solid years as the team’s premier running back. In 2007, he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,104. In 2006 and 2007, he had over 1,000 yards rushing. He is a nominee to the 2016 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Eagles got more than their return on investment in Westbrook, and if Wentz gives them the same kind of career, they will have made a wise pick. At North Dakota State, Wentz had two great seasons. In his junior year, he completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions. This season, his numbers tailed off a little, but he still completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,651 yards. The impressive improvement came in touchdown/interception ratio, with 17 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
In an NFL where turnover ratio is everything, that’s a good sign. But the Eagles can also be comforted by knowing that they had an all-time great come from the FCS before, and they have no reason to doubt that level of play.
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