Q. Looking at what the Eagles gave up to get in position to draft you, how much of a responsibility do you feel you have to deliver on this potential that you've shown?
CARSON WENTZ: You know, I don't really think of it like that. I think of it as it's just really exciting knowing that a team believes in me that much to go up and get me. I'm excited to be an Eagle, and I'm not going to put any extra pressure on myself. I'm just going to keep holding myself to high expectations and know that I'll just block out all the noise and hopefully win a lot of ball games.
Q. When did you know the Eagles were really targeting you?
CARSON WENTZ: I guess I got a pretty good sense throughout this process every time I met with them and talked to them. I wasn't sure how it would all transpire, wasn't sure what would happen, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did, and I'm excited to be heading to Philadelphia.
Q. How do you feel about those Brett Favre comparisons? Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said you remind him a little bit of Brett Favre, that gunslinger-type mentality.
CARSON WENTZ: It's pretty unbelievable. Growing up, Favre has always been my favorite guy to watch, just his mentality, the way he played the game, the way he approached the game, he had fun with it, his grittiness, hard-working attitude. I just loved everything about watching him play and being compared -- obviously I've got a long way to go, but it's pretty cool hearing that.
Q. Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman says you have the demeanor to fit into a town like Philadelphia. What do you think about coming here with the reputation and the atmosphere here with the fans?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, I know the fans are real passionate and they want to win. I'm the same way. I'm pretty passionate about the game. I want to win, and I think I'll fit in well.
Q. Did you follow the Eagles growing up at all?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, you know, I watched them quite a bit in the Donovan McNabb days, and I know how passionate the fans are. I know how cool the town, that place is, and I'm excited to be there.
Q. What do you think you need to do to be NFL ready?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, a lot. Obviously I feel I have a pretty good handle of the game, but obviously there's a lot more to learn. You're never a finished product. You've got to just get in there and learn and transition to the speed of the game. Everybody has got to do it, and I'm excited to show that I can handle that and really excel with it.
Q. How much did you learn when you got to North Dakota State and had to sit for a few years, and how much of that experience will you use now if you're not going to play right away?
CARSON WENTZ: You know, I learned patience. I learned an unbelievable amount of football in that time span. It was tough sitting and waiting, but coming from high school football to that complex system, it was a lot. It was a lot to learn, and I think I learned it pretty quickly and was able to just really keep diving in more and more into the playbook, into the schemes, the defenses, and I'm looking forward to just increasing that knowledge as we go here.
Q. What's one thing in your game you'd like to improve upon the most just looking at yourself honestly?
CARSON WENTZ: I just think I can always continue to get better with my footwork. I think everybody is kind of similar in that regard here. Again, you're never a finished product, and having good feet leads to good accuracy, and I just want to continue to get more and more consistent with that.
Q. Will it be uncomfortable for you at all hearing that Sam Bradford wants to be traded, isn't going to be showing up for the mini-camps at all? Will that be tough for you as the new guy coming in?
CARSON WENTZ: You know, I don't think so. I'm not really sure how it'll transpire. I've been an Eagle now for about an hour, so we'll kind of see how that transpires. But it's out of my control. I'm not going to worry about it, and it'll all work out.
Q. How will you handle your first meeting with Sam?
CARSON WENTZ: Professionally. I think we're both professionals now, and it'll just be -- it'll be what it is. I won't make it bigger than it needs to be. I'm just going to go in there and focus on what I can control and learning as much ball as quickly as I can.
Q. Did you always think you could be a franchise quarterback? Was there a moment at North Dakota State or during your development where you felt confident you could be that guy?
CARSON WENTZ: Yeah, coming into college, when I first got there, I really, physically, had the ability to. I realized I had a lot to prove still, and I just had to make the most of my opportunities. Unfortunately my opportunities were pretty limited with just those two years, and I felt I made the most of it. And then really, at the end of junior year is when I really realized like the next level is going to be a real thing, and just used that as motivation to just keep working and focus on the task at hand. I was winning ball games in college, and we did that, and now the focus shifted to winning ball games at the next level.
Q. When did you realize you'd be drafted in the first round? When did you first think that might be a possibility?
CARSON WENTZ: Probably towards the end of the season. I don't know, just from talking to agents and stuff, I knew it was still a long process with a lot of things to prove, and I think I made the most of every opportunity I had in this process, and I think it all worked out great.
Q. What are your impressions of Doug Pederson?
CARSON WENTZ: He's an awesome guy. I just thought we hit it off great. He knows the game. There's a number of guys in that organization, in that coaching staff that really understand the quarterback position, so I think it'll be a great group of guys to go in there and learn from.
Q. What has this experience been like for you the last couple of months? It seems almost like a meteoric rise from North Dakota State to the No. 2 pick overall. What's this been like for you?
CARSON WENTZ: It's been unbelievable. It's been fast. It's been a whirlwind, traveling all over the place, meeting all sorts of people, but it's been enjoyable. This only happens once, and now it's in the books. The baby is in the barn now, and now it's time to transition to the next level and go play ball.
Q. What do you know about the city of Philadelphia?
CARSON WENTZ: Passionate. Passionate, and they want to win. That's who I am, as well, and I know that it's a very historical place, and I'm excited to go there and experience it first-hand.
Q. You had a chance to walk away from at least playing football in college. With so much to lose, why did you come back for that playoff game? Why did you not just say, hey, you know what, I've done all I need to do here?
CARSON WENTZ: That's how I am. As a competitor, I knew if I got any more opportunities to come back as a Bison and finish my career, I was going to take advantage of it, and I'm very fortunate that I did get that opportunity. I had guys telling me both ways, some people saying it would be best to just focus on the next level, and I believed I gave too much effort and over four-and-a-half years of my life to that program, and I wanted to go out the right way, and I'm fortunate that I did.
Q. One of the plays you drew up for NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci on the white board was the four verticals. How important was it for you to improve your vertical passing ability from 2014 to 2015?
CARSON WENTZ: It was big. It's a timing thing. You know, deep balls are such a timing thing, and I think I really excelled at that my senior season. But yeah, it was a very key point of emphasis for me in the offseason and throughout training camp and everything, I think it showed.
Q. Who was on the line when the Eagles called you tonight?
CARSON WENTZ: I spoke to about everybody. I talked to Howie right away and then [Eagles Chairman/CEO] Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie and then coach Pederson, [offensive coordinator] coach [Frank] Reich and also [quarterbacks] coach Flip [John DeFilippo], and it was really cool to hear how excited they were, and I'm pretty excited myself, so I'm fired up to be headed there tomorrow.
