The good people of North Dakota have been cheering for Carson Wentz since he became the starting quarterback for the North Dakota State Bison a couple years back.
Naturally, they want what’s best for him.
According to ESPN the Magazine’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, this means that at least some of them don’t want to see him ending up with the Cleveland Browns.
“The encounter, like almost all of them, ends on the same awkward note: Carson, we sure hope you don’t end up in Cleveland! Anywhere but Cleveland! He smiles and offers a polite but forced chuckle. “It’s out of my control,” he says, shrugging. He’s become an expert in the art of noncommittal, inoffensive shrugs. He shakes a few more hands, gets up and walks to the parking lot.”
Given the Browns’ track record since 1999, it’s hard to blame any fan of the quarterback to hope he avoids being drafted by Cleveland.
The organization has been dismal in terms of giving quarterbacks the ability to progress under its watch. After all, the Browns have had 24 starting quarterbacks since their return to the NFL back in 1999.
Then again, Wentz would go down as an NFL legend if he returned Cleveland to respectability.
What the people of North Dakota should really be doing is finding ways to tout Wentz’s skills to the Los Angeles Rams, who currently hold the No. 1 pick and will almost certainly take a quarterback with that pick.
If the Rams opt for former CAL signal caller Jared Goff (or anyone but Wentz) at No. 1, it opens the door for the Browns to take Carson Wentz at No. 2, thereby breaking the hearts of North Dakotans everywhere.