MOBILE, Ala. – Until a few weeks ago, average NFL fans might have had a problem picking Carson Wentz out of a two-man lineup. Now many are wondering if the North Dakota State University quarterback might end up as the No. 1 passer in the April draft.

If ever there was a case of wildly raising the bar on expectations as quickly as possible, Wentz is it. That's not to suggest the latest NFL draft darling can't justify such praise. It's just … well … even the head of the Senior Bowl, Phil Savage, hasn't seen Wentz play in person. Wentz is "probably going to be the most watched player here," Savage said, but it's an odd reality for the Senior Bowl's top official, who readily admits that the top draw at quarterback is a guy who most NFL evaluators haven't seen in a live game.

Carson Wentz went 20-3 as a starter at North Dakota State. (AP) More

"The reality of it is," Savage said, "if Carson Wentz goes in the top 10, what a feather in his cap [for him], but also for us in terms of trying to convince [top] quarterbacks, 'Hey, you should come in here and participate and play.'

"From everything I saw of Wentz on video and then talking to people in the league, he's big – 6-[foot-]5, 231 [pounds] – he's got a strong arm, he's very athletic. He's in an offense that's more conventional to the NFL, rather than all of this spread type of stuff. Even though he's coming from the FCS, he's got a lot of traits that people think will carry over to the NFL."

Oddly, it wasn't long ago when Wentz had something huge to gain by appearing in the Senior Bowl. The much-needed exposure, three days of practice and instruction will quench a lot of curiosity about the tall, prototype quarterback who has 23 starts under his belt. A guy who says he wasn't on the college recruiting radar until moving to quarterback his senior year of high school, completing his transition from a 5-foot-8, 125-pound freshman to a 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior.

But Wentz suddenly has plenty to lose here, too. Educated guesses are already plugging him in at the No. 4 overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys in a draft that won't happen for another three months. That's a dangerously high perch for a player few have seen play in a live game, let alone against draftable FBS talent.

Three months is an eternity for quarterbacks in the NFL draft process. In that span, personnel departments can strip down and second-guess the perceived elite until they've fallen precipitously in a draft. Consider Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who went from a potential No. 1 pick, to top 10, to top 20, to eventually falling to the last choice in the first round of the 2014 draft. In the span of three months, quarterback-starved teams found a lot to dislike about Bridgewater. Also, consider New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty. One year ago at this time, some evaluators went into the Senior Bowl suggesting Petty had a chance to sneak into the first round. One poor Senior Bowl later (and some workouts that left something to be desired), Petty settled into the fourth round.

This brings us back to Wentz, who in two years as the North Dakota State starter racked up 42 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions and ran for 12 touchdowns. Those are nice numbers that apparently have translated into some intriguing film for scouts. But now is when the meat of his evaluation begins. That became evident last week, when a Cowboys personnel source pumped the brakes on the Wentz-to-Dallas train. Asked about evaluators and analysts suggesting the Cowboys liked Wentz at No. 4 overall, he rolled his eyes.

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