By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Carson Wentz may have not been lights out on Thursday night, but he sure was captivating. Many people wondered how the second-overall pick would adjust to the talent-level and speed of the NFL. An up-and-down game was punctuated by a hard hit that left the Eagles rookie quarterback with a hairline fracture in his ribs.
So as we wait to see if Wentz will get healthy in time to get some more preseason snaps, it looks like the 24 passes he threw last week are the only ones we will get to evaluate for a little while.
All in all, Wentz's performance painted a picture of a guy who has the size, the speed and the talent to become a special player in the NFL, but he has a long way to go before he can reach his full potential.
The Good
Wentz's best attributes stem from his experience at North Dakota State. As a big, powerful runner, Wentz showed great command of NDSU's spread offense and he possesses the ability to throw on the move proficiently.
Take, for instance, this play from his first drive on Thursday.
Wentz is able to sidestep the interior pressure, climb the pocket and hit Zach Ertz down the field for a 19-yard completion, the Eagles longest offensive play of the night. The QB's awareness in the pocket and ability to keep his eyes downfield while navigating the quickly-collapsing pocket is impressive for such a raw talent. This play alone prompted Aaron Rodgers comparisons the next day on sports talk radio, which is a bit ludicrous at this point in his career.
Or this play, where a miscommunication along the offensive line leads to a free rusher at Wentz, who is able to evade the defender and make a great throw on the run:
Off his back foot, with two men in his face, Wentz is still able to put the ball on the money and pick up 10 yards on a play that should have resulted in a sack. And with the prospect of playing behind a terrible offensive line, Wentz's mobility, strength and ability to throw on the run could really come in handy during the early stages of his career when he's running for his life.
The Bad
If you watched the game on TV, you probably heard Mike Mayock mention how Wentz is prone to miss his receivers high. Well, the former scout is correct. Wentz has a terrible habit of throwing passes too high, something that could lead to a lot of interceptions. By my count, he had four overthrows in Thursday's game, which means over 15 percent of his passes sailed over his receivers heads.
The play starts out almost identically to Wentz's earlier completion to Ertz, where he sidesteps the press and looks downfield to find a receiver who has discovered a soft spot in the Bucs' zone coverage. But instead of hitting his man, Wentz's throw sails over his head and nearly hits a cameraman on the sideline.
Plays like this show just how much Wentz needs to work on his consistency. Just about every starting QB in the NFL would hit that throw. Heck, Nick Foles threw deep outs almost exclusively for two years and it was instrumental in his success. There's no excuses on the play, Wentz needs to hit his receiver and pick up the first down. Period.
Mechanics also played a role in Wentz's worst throw of the night, his red zone interception.
The pressure quickly gets in Wentz's face and he has Paul Turner open, but he short-arms the throw, while getting driven back and it ends up in the lap of a Buccaneers defender. The more I watch this play, the more I notice just how hard Wentz was hit. But once again, a man of his size and stature should be able to hang in there a bit better and muscle that throw to a spot where his receiver can make a play on the ball.
The Ugly
Speaking of hard-hit, this part may be decisive among fans. While Wentz's willingness to stand in the pocket or take hits on the may be endearing, it is also scary to see the future of the franchise put at risk. Like this run:
Despite Doug Pederson telling reporters after the game he want to see Wentz try to jump over more defenders, seeing him flip like that is enough to make even the toughest of fans cringe. Wentz did slide after one run during the game and remarked that it was probably the first time he's ever slid, so there's hope.
And I'm sure he realized after this hit, the one that supposedly caused the fracture to his ribs, NFL players are a bit stronger than the average FCS defender.
Get well soon, Mr. Wentz.
