Eagles target QB after blockbuster deal with Browns

The Eagles pulled off a blockbuster trade on Wednesday that landed them the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, a deal that is expected to make North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz the future face of football in Philadelphia.

The Eagles sent five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns, including two first-round selections, in a move that will be remembered as one of the biggest trades in franchise history.

The choice next Thursday will be whichever quarterback the Los Angeles Rams do not take at No. 1: Wentz or California's Jared Goff. Although the Rams have not announced the player they will select, the belief around the NFL is that they'll pick Goff and that Wentz will become the potential franchise quarterback the Eagles have sought since Donovan McNabb was traded in 2010.

"We're very sure we're going to get the player we want," said Howie Roseman, the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations.

To move up six slots in the draft, the Eagles surrendered the No. 8 overall pick, a third-round pick (No. 77), a fourth-round pick (No. 100), a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick. The Eagles also received a fourth-round pick in 2017 from the Browns.

The hefty compensation leaves the Eagles with six picks this year: No. 2, a third-round pick (No. 79), two fifth-round picks (Nos. 153 and 164), a sixth-round pick (No. 188), and two seventh-round picks (Nos. 233 and 251). Roseman said he believes that spreading out the lost draft choices during the next two years allows the Eagles to plan ahead.

"It's a hard pill to swallow - we understand that - it's a tough price to pay," Roseman said. ". . . We have some time to prepare for the losses."

That Eagles paid that price even for a quarterback who is not projected to start this season. Roseman made clear that Sam Bradford will remain the starter, and the No. 2 pick will have time to develop under the tutelage of head coach Doug Pederson.

Roseman cited McNabb, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady as examples of quarterbacks who had successful careers after developing on the bench as a rookie.

"If you commit that you're going to invest in quarterbacks and you have people here who we think can teach quarterbacks as well as anyone in the NFL, sometimes you've got to put your money where your mouth is," Roseman said.

The Eagles view this year as a "rare opportunity" to acquire a top quarterback. Those prospects usually go early in drafts, and the Eagles had a top-five selection just three times in the previous 40 years. One of those picks was used on McNabb in 1999. He became the team's franchise quarterback after Andy Reid selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in his first year as head coach.

That's the model the Eagles hope they can follow with Pederson as the coach. Pederson was the starter in 1999, when McNabb learned as a rookie. A similar situation would be beneficial for Wentz, who is coming from a Football Championship Subdivision program and started only 23 games at North Dakota State. Pederson mentioned patience as a benefit of Wentz's coming to a situation such as the Eagles'.

"It's a great opportunity for someone who not only has the coaching he has here and the support he has here, but time," Roseman said. "We're not positioned where anyone has to come in and play this year - conceivably next year."

The trade came after the Eagles crisscrossed the country scouting the top quarterbacks. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie joined Roseman and Pederson on a visit to Fargo, N.D., to meet with Wentz. That meeting left an impression on the new Eagles coach and helped answer questions about the transition from lower-level competition to the NFL. Pederson said he thought the way Wentz handles himself "puts him in elite status when it comes to quarterbacks."

"If you haven't spent time with a guy like Carson Wentz, it's hard from the outside looking in," Pederson said. "You may go, 'North Dakota State, smaller school, might be an issue.' But when you finally get him in your building, get your hands on him, have a chance to visit with him, talk to him, and just break it down, this kid is pretty impressive."

At the start of the offseason, the Eagles did not appear to have the necessary resources to move to the top of the draft. A series of trades during the last two months put them in this position.

First they traded cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso to Miami so they could exchange the No. 13 pick for the No. 8 pick. They also gave up running back DeMarco Murray to swap fourth-round picks with the Tennessee Titans. Both of the picks the Eagles acquired were moved in the deal with the Browns.

"Once we got into the top 10 and we had the chance to evaluate and go back on our research and look at the uniqueness of this moment, we felt we had to take advantage of it," Roseman said.

Roseman felt compelled to make the trade before the Rams announced their selection. Pederson said Monday that "there's not much separating" Goff and Wentz, and that both can become franchise quarterbacks. He noted that Wentz is bigger and more athletic than Goff.

Roseman added that "the only way you can make this trade is being really comfortable with both those guys," and choosing between them is like picking vanilla or chocolate, when the preference depends on the beholder.

"That's the best part about it," Roseman said. "They're not the same guy. They're different. They're unique in so many ways. At the same time, they both have some really great traits that give them a chance."

There's no certainty, though, which is why a trade of this magnitude is a risk. The Eagles spent the last three weeks working on this deal before it was completed Wednesday. They hope it landed them the quarterback who will help lead to an elusive parade down Broad Street.

"We want to get into a position where in the near future, we have an opportunity to compete every year," Roseman said. "And that starts at the quarterback position."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm