ThePhillySportsBlog

What an exciting time to be a Philadelphia sports fan.  I am, of course, talking about the upcoming NFL Draft on Thursday night.  What?  Is something else going on I don’t know about?  Well, whatever it is, it’s not important.

NFL teams either succeed or fail based largely on what they do in the draft.  Don’t believe me?  Just look at the draft history of Eagles GM Howie Roseman.

Roseman became the Eagles GM in 2010, although there is some question as to who had final say on draft picks with Andy Reid being the Eagles head coach until 2012.

Let’s just all agree that Roseman certainly had an influential voice in drafting players like busts Fireman Danny Watkins (1^st round, 2011) and stars like Jason Kelce (6^th round, 2011) and Fletcher Cox (1^st round, 2012).

I think it is also fairly obvious that Roseman has done a much better job of drafting since he returned from exile.  During the 2015 draft, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie stupidly gave Chip Kelly complete power over the draft.  Here is the carnage that ensued.

1^st round        WR Nelson Agholor

2^nd round        S Eric Rowe

3^rd round        LB Jordan Hicks

6^th round        CB JaCorey Shepherd

6^th round        CB Randall Evans

7^th round        DE Brian Mihalik

That might be the worst draft in NFL history.  Thanks, Chip.

Of course, Roseman wasn’t much better the year before, when he wasted a 1^st round pick on DE Marcus Smith, who was an absolute bust of busts.  Roseman’s best pick in 2014 was DT Beau Allen in the 7^th round.  At least he contributed something.  But that is a horrible draft.

Luckily for Eagles fans, Roseman’s time spent in the equipment closet in 2015 humbled him and he learned to listen to his scouts and not think he’s smarter than everybody else.  Since being reinstated in 2016, Roseman has used the draft to build three teams that have gone to the Super Bowl, winning twice.

Now there was some luck involved with that, such as when he tried to trade for Desean Watson, but he refused to come to the Eagles.  Thank God he went to Cleveland instead.

But this is about the draft, so let’s stick to that theme.

Roseman learned from his earlier mistakes as GM, but he hasn’t been perfect.  His 2019 draft, when he drafted OT Andre Dillard in the 1^st round, was terrible.  The only reason it wasn’t his worst draft is that he at least got RB Miles Sanders in round 2.  And I’m not sure a GM has made a worse pick in the history of the NFL Draft, than when Roseman took WR Jalen Reagor in the 1^st round in 2020, when future Hall of Famer Justin Jefferson was still on the board.  The video of the Minnesota Vikings draft room bursting out in laughter is still out there if you want to torture yourself.

But Roseman has also drafted 1^st round studs like these guys.

Carson Wentz (2016)                      He was the MVP favorite before getting hurt in 2017.

DeVonta Smith (2017)

Jalen Carter (2023)

Quinyon Mitchell (2024)

And he’s done just as well in the 2^nd round lately.

Dallas Goedert (2018)

Landon Dickerson (2021)

Cam Jurgens (2022)

Cooper DeJean (2024)

He’s even done well in the 3^rd round finding starters who helped the Eagles win Super Bowls.

Isaac Seumalo (2016)

Milton Williams (2021)

Jalyx Hunt (2024)

This is important because the Eagles have four picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Round 1 – 23

Round 2 – 54

Round 3 – 68

Round 3 – 98

Round 4 – 114

Round 5 – 178

Round 6 – 197

After last year’s disappointing playoff loss to the undermanned San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles are at a crossroads.  AJ Brown is going to be traded after June 1 to spread out the $43 million cap hit over two seasons.  Jalen Hurts has had a couple of down years, even though they won the Super Bowl, and the team doesn’t seem inclined to sign him to another huge extension. The once-dominant offensive line is aging and injured.  The entire offensive philosophy was radically changed for the first time under head coach Nick Sirianni.  And Jeffrey Lurie needs the team to be good while he tries to strong-arm the city and state into building him a new billion-dollar domed stadium that nobody wants or needs.

So, let’s just all agree that Roseman needs to nail this draft.

The Eagles had the most expensive offense in the NFL last year, so they need some cheap reinforcements in the draft. 

They have focused on rebuilding the defense through the draft over the last few years.  They haven’t even used a 2^nd round pick on offense since Jurgens in 2022 and their last 1^st round pick on offense was DeVonta Smith in 2021.  That tells me that the Eagles are going to concentrate on that side of the ball in this draft.

I know the Eagles need a pass rusher, since Nolan Smith has proven he’s not good enough.  I wouldn’t be opposed to using a 2^nd or 3^rd rounder for an edge rusher.  Or maybe they circle back to the Minnesota Vikings who are looking to trade edge Jonathan Greenard.  They could get him for a Day 2 pick.  But I’m guessing that would have already been done if the Eagles agreed to rework Greenard’s contract.    

They definitely need to think about replacing Reed Blankenship, after he left in free agency.  Drew Mukuba will be one starting safety and either Marcus Epps or Michael Carter II will fill the other spot next season.  They’ll draft a safety, but it won’t be in the 1^st round since the Eagles have never drafted a safety in the 1^st round ever.

I understand people who think the Eagles need to draft a WR since AJ Brown is getting traded.  But the Eagles have added three WRs in free agency.  None of them are stars, but Sean Mannion is bringing in an offense that spreads the ball around.  Devonta Smith is a No. 1 WR.  Then you have a bunch No. 2 and No. 3 guys in Dontayvion Wicks, Elijah Moore and Hollywood Brown.  I bet they draft a WR somewhere in the middle rounds though.

What I think they need to address in this draft more than anything is offensive line and TE.

Lane Johnson is going to retire after this upcoming season and there isn’t a replacement on the roster.  Drafting his replacement and letting that guy learn behind a Hall of Famer would be ideal.  There is also the whole mystery behind the Landon Dickerson injury.  The guy goes to South America for a stem cell procedure that isn’t legal in the US, and he agrees to remove a year from his contract.  That tells you Dickerson isn’t going to be playing much longer.  Of course, we knew that when he was drafted.  His extensive injury history is why the Eagles got him in the 2^nd round.

As for who the Eagles should take at 23, there are a bunch of OTs who would be nice fits. 

Kayden Proctor from Alabama is huge (6-6, 350) and he could probably also play guard, if needed.  But there are questions about how well he handles speed rushers off the edge.

Monroe Freeling from Georgia is the kind of prospect that would fit nicely into the Eagles new west coast offense blocking scheme, but he played LT.  I assume he could transition to RT just fine.

Blake Miller from Clemson is not projected to be a special player in the pros, but he’s ready to step in as a rookie at either tackle or guard.  Doesn’t sound like a Roseman pick.

I like Max Iheanachor from Arizona State.  The former basketball player is a bit raw, but he supposedly has a very high ceiling at 6-6, 320.  If you’re going to let this pick sit behind Johnson for a year, you might as well draft the guy who you think has a chance to be special.  That’s Iheanachor.

If you think drafting an offensive lineman is boring, I hear you.  But Roseman and the Eagles have always prioritized building through the trenches first.  Saquan Barkley didn’t have a special year that led to a Super Bowl Championship behind an average line.  Just look at how much of a drop-off the entire offense experienced last season when the offensive line had injuries.

Roseman’s history shows that he drafts offensive lineman without a starting spot being immediately available.  The last five times the Eagles have drafted an offensive lineman in the first three rounds, they have done so without a clear path to playing time for that player in their rookie season.

The Eagles also need to find a replacement for Goedert.  Roseman has a history of finding his TEs in the second round.  Goedert and Zach Ertz were both 2^nd rounders.  But if Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq somehow falls to the Eagles at 23 or even falls into the late teens, I would fully endorse them going for him.  

Roseman has traded up seven times in the first round during his tenure as GM, so he’s obviously not afraid to make a move.

One thing to keep in mind though is that the Eagles only have six draft picks in the 2027 draft.  Obviously, they’ll be getting a 2027 draft pick from the New England Patriots when they finalize the trade of AJ Brown.  But I would expect any trade up by Roseman to include 2026 picks only.  The 2027 draft is projected to be better than this draft. 

Finally, I just want to say that I have changed my mind about Roseman’s drafting ability or at least his willingness to listen to his scouts.  I was correct to point out how bad Roseman was in his early days as GM, where only 8 of his 16 picks in the first three rounds became starters.  But he has earned the benefit of the doubt in recent drafts.

Of Roseman’s 27 picks in the first three rounds of the draft since 2016, 22 have become starters.  That’s damn good. 

The non-starters?  Look away if you are squeamish. 

Sindey Jones (2^nd round, 2017)

Andre Dillard (1^st round, 2019)

JJ Arcega-Whiteside (2^nd round, 2019)

Davion Taylor (3^rd round, 2020)

Sydney Brown (3^rd round, 2023)

Let’s hope Roseman learned from his mistakes and doesn’t repeat them. 

My advice is don’t draft anybody who wants to be a fireman more than he wants to play in the NFL.