Carson Wentz completes first pass of preseason vs Buccaneers (Video)

Philadelphia Eagles rookie Carson Wentz completed his first pass in the NFL vs Tampa Bay in the preseason

Every debate that you heard coming into the 2016 NFL Draft essentially always devolve into Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. It was clear that they were the two best quarterbacks of the draft class. In fact, they were so clearly the best that the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams traded up to Nos. 2 and 1. Ultimately, it was Goff going No. 1 to LA and then Wentz going No. 2 to the Eagles. On Thursday night, the Philadelphia rookie made his preseason debut.

Going up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carson Wentz was listed as only the third quarterback on the depth chart. Playing behind Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel, Wentz still came in for some first half action. Though that’s an uncommon move from Doug Pederson, the rookie from North Dakota State delivered almost right way.

Early in his first drive, Wentz felt a bit of pressure coming from everywhere and collapsing the pocket around him. Rather than look like a rookie and make a bad decision, he did the opposite. Wentz bought himself a little bit of time with his deceptive quickness and athleticism. He then looked across the middle of the field to find an open Zach Ertz, whom he hit with a bullet right in the hands:

That’s an absolutely gorgeous pass for his first completion in NFL action—even if it is only in the preseason right now. Granted, it wasn’t all great for Carson Wentz on Thursday night. He did throw a pick early in the second half off of a poor choice and ugly throw. However, throws like this one to Ertz make it easy to see what the Eagles do and wonder how long until he’s the starter.