Randy Hedberg Compares Carson Wentz and Trey Lance

The associate head coach/quarterback coach at North Dakota State had the hotshot draft prospect in 2016 and does again in 2021

Randy Hedberg knows a thing or two about how an offensive line can make or break a quarterback.

He was mostly broken in his one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 1977, the second year of existence for the Bucs. Hedberg, an eighth-round draft pick out of Minot State University in North Dakota, played seven games, started four, and was sacked 15 times while throwing 10 interceptions without a single touchdown pass.

“A lot of time on my back,” said Hedberg who is now the associate head coach/quarterback coach of one of the hottest college prospects in this year’s draft, Trey Lance from North Dakota State.

Hedberg, 66, was also the QB coach for the last two years of Carson Wentz’s run at NDSU.

Following the North Dakota State Pro Day on Friday, he talked about both Wentz and Lance, their similarities, and what he saw from Wentz’s miserable 2020 season.

“I think the biggest thing I saw in reference to Carson (last year) is I didn't think you got protected very well up front, so when you don't get protected well up front it's hard on quarterbacks. I've been there, so I know how that works,” said Hedberg.

Wentz was sacked 50 times in his 12-plus starts. Certainly, a patchwork offensive line was part of the problem, but so, too, was Wentz simply holding the ball too long, at times seeming to hesitate pulling the trigger.

Wentz is now the reclamation project of the Indianapolis Colts, a trade agreed upon between the two teams on Feb. 18 and one expected to become official on Wednesday when the NFL’s new league year begins.

As for the similarities between Wentz and Lance, Hedberg had plenty to say.

“The major difference is, Carson was a fifth-year senior, and Trey is a third-year sophomore,” said the coach. “So, there’s a little difference in age. But I think they both have the ability to throw the ball with some accuracy. I think Trey is really advanced in his knowledge of defenses, just like Carson. So, I think there are some similarities there.”

Hedberg indicated that Lance is more athletic than Wentz and pointed to the 30 runs for 166 yards and one touchdown Lance had in the 2019 FCS title game against James Madison.

“We didn’t run the ball a lot with Carson – the quarterback run game – quite as much with Carson as we did with Trey,” Hedberg said. “Trey was a little bit better runner in our minds than Carson was at that point. That’s a major difference. I think the age is the major difference I see, but I also see a major upside for Trey Lance going to the next level.”

Lance will celebrate his 21st birthday in May. Wentz, now 28, was 23 when the Eagles made him the second overall pick in 2016.

Despite the tender age, Lance is expected to be selected ed in the top 10 when the 2021 NFL Draft begins on April 29.

“I’m going to say this because when I was a rookie in the NFL, I played, and I wasn’t ready to play,” said Hedberg. “And I really think it affected me. I said the same thing when Carson came out – I would hope that he was able to sit back and learn from a veteran player.

“I always feel that it’s tough on a rookie to come into the NFL and start right away, whoever it is. There’s just a lot of learning, and the speed of the game picks up. I really believe that it would help any veteran quarterback to come in and learn from somebody – learn the intricacies of the game, and also the speed of the game.”

Lance said he would be ready if he is the starter from day one, as Wentz was.

“My mindset is I’m going to come in and compete regardless of where I’m at,” he said. “I don’t think teams want me to come in any other way. I’m a competitor first and foremost.”

One big question mark surrounding him is his lack of experience. He played just 17 games due to NDSU’s 2020 season being moved to this spring due to the pandemic and Lance opting out.

“The biggest thing for me is just controlling what I can control and not worrying about what I can’t,” said Lance. “I played every game I possibly could in college. It would’ve been great, I obviously was anticipating (playing) last year and win another national championship in January. But it didn’t work out that way.”

Added Hedberg: “The biggest thing is, they (NFL personnel) wonder if just the 17 games - does that give him enough pictures that he’s seen? Different pictures from defenses. That’s the biggest question I’ve gotten from different people. It would have been nice to have a fill season for him last fall, so he could have potentially played 15 more games. But that didn’t happen – that’s not how it worked out for him. That would have helped him in the long run.”

Could he help the Eagles?

Probably.

Would they dare go back to the same school that produced Wentz, who fizzled in just five short years?

Stay tuned.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.