Hue Jackson and Doug Pederson were both hired in 2016. In Pederson’s first draft, he was given Carson Wentz.
The Browns and Jackson got a truckload of players back instead, but none of them are Wentz. None of them are a franchise quarterback.
Since then, both teams have gone in completely different directions. Pederson coached the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, while Jackson was recently fired.
In an exclusive interview with Cleveland.com, Jackson was asked if he wanted the Browns to draft Wentz in 2016:
Oh my gosh, yes. Did I like Carson Wentz? Hell yes. He did something that no other quarterback did. I give them three minutes to memorize the book and put on the (white) board. He put it all on the board in two minutes and 48 seconds. I've never had a guy do that ever in my coaching career.
But the plan was never to take a quarterback that year. It was all about trading back to get picks. If you're doing that you've got to pick the right players.
We’ve heard these stories about Wentz before. It seems like a bunch of teams have similar stories about him from that pre-draft period in 2016. The Eagles had the same impression … that’s why they prioritized moving up to get him.
The Browns ended up with a whole lot of players from the trade out of No. 2 in 2016. Like, a whole lot of players. PhillyVoice broke it down earlier this year:
NFL
• WR Corey Coleman
• OT Shon Coleman
• QB Cody Kessler
• WR Ricardo Louis
• S Derrick Kindred
• WR Jordan Payton
• OL Spencer Drango
• S Jabrill Peppers
• QB DeShone Kizer
• DE Chad Thomas
• CB Denzel Ward
• WR Antonio Callaway
That’s a ton of players. None of them are Carson Wentz. Maybe if Jackson got his wish in 2016, he’d still be in Cleveland. Things certainly worked out for the Eagles.
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