Don't be surprised if the Eagles start Carson Wentz sooner than expected

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, the NFL's number No. 2-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is not among the top 10 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates on Bovada.lv, a Canadian based betting website.

And not only that, there are players who were drafted as late as the fifth round who have better odds, via CBS:

Bovada's logic for Wentz's omission would seemingly be that the Eagles are expected to let Wentz sit for a year before they throw him to the wolves. The Eagles themselves have even said that would be their preferable approach. But certainly, Wentz would appear in Bovada's list above if he were expected to be a Day 1 starter, as is expected in Los Angeles with Jared Goff. 

While I agree that Wentz sitting for a year is a very possible scenario, I'm not so sure Wentz won't play sooner than many are anticipating.

During the pre-draft process, quarterbacks who visited the Eagles were asked to stand at the podium and conduct a press conference with mock reporters. For example, Mississippi State (and now Dallas Cowboys) quarterback Dak Prescott relived his experience in Philly, via NFL.com.

Pre-draft visits for NFL draft prospects don't tend to vary too much. They buzz into town for a day or less, meet with coaches and team officials, maybe take a quiz on a playbook, meet a few potential future teammates, and head back to the airport. 

That changed for Dak Prescott in Philadelphia. 

The Eagles put him through a mock press conference to assess his ability to handle tough questions from reporters. 

"They wanted to get a feel for how I would represent the team. Obviously as a quarterback, you're going to be the face of an organization, so it was important to them to see how I would react to different questions. That was the most unique thing I've done (at a visit)," Prescott said. 

It wasn't so much a test of Prescott's postgame demeanor; the mock setting had more of a post-draft feel, as if Prescott was speaking to reporters for the first time after being selected by Philadelphia. Naturally, one Eagles official asked him about the DUI charge that Prescott incurred two days after MSU's pro day last month, something he'll surely be asked about in his first post-draft media interview in a new city. 

The Eagles are acutely aware that playing in Philadelphia is not the same as playing in Jacksonville or Tennessee. The Prescott tidbit above is just one small example demonstrating that awareness. Football is by far the No. 1 show in town, and it's not even close. The media tends to be aggressive, while many fans are frustrated and often demanding. Some players can handle it. Others cannot, hence the Eagles' added emphasis on how quarterbacks handle themselves in media sessions during the pre-draft process.

The Eagles have stated several times that they would like to take it slowly with their rookie quarterback. However, could the Eagles be purposely setting expectations low externally while internally hoping that Wentz is ready to play in 2016? 

By allowing Wentz to exceed reasonable public expectations, the Eagles could play Wentz as a rookie, and if he experiences growing pains, he would theoretically not incur the same level of criticism as an over-hyped player since he wasn't supposed to be starting so soon in the first place.

Of Wentz, Sam Bradford, and Chase Daniel, Wentz is by far the most physically gifted. Wentz is the biggest of the three, he has the strongest arm, and he's the only legitimate threat as a runner. If the mental side of the game comes quickly for Wentz, don't be surprised if he plays a lot sooner than many are anticipating.