- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 436,205
- Reaction score
- 44
PHILADELPHIA − Just because the Eagles are scheduled to pick at the end of the first three rounds of the NFL draft from April 24-26 doesn't mean they can't come away with franchise-type players.
The end-of-round picks are the spoils of winning the Super Bowl. But to become a perennial Super Bowl contender like the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reached the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons, the Eagles will have to get creative.
That's because the NFL's system makes it harder to form dynasties, both with the harder schedule and with the top teams picking at the end of each round.
Then again, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has never let draft positioning impact his moves, either trading up to get a player he wants, or trading back to stockpile more picks.
"I think that being aggressive has always been part of my DNA," Roseman said.
Then he expounded upon his philosophy of picking at the end of the first round.
"We always take the worst-case scenario and work back from that," Roseman said. "We've got to be really comfortable with whatever is our worst-case scenario, which will always entail getting a good player. There are never 32 first-round grades on our board. We don't have 32 first round grades in this draft."
So what does the best-case scenario look like for the Eagles in the NFL draft? Here are 7 ways they can ace the draft:
Sure, there's a chance that the Eagles could stand pat at No. 32, and hope that a good player falls to them. But that doesn't seem likely if Roseman doesn't have 32 first-round grades on players.
Why move up as opposed to trading out of the first round and stockpiling more picks? Because the Eagles have eight picks this year − all in the first five rounds − and as many as 12 picks next year. So Roseman has the means to get a player he wants.
Who is that player? There are two who can end up in the Eagles' range in the late 20s, thus necessitating a trade − Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart, who ran a 4.59 40 at the combine despite weighing 267 pounds; and Georgia safety Malaki Starks, who can start right away at either safety or nickel.
If the Eagles wait until No. 32, both of those players could be gone, and they might be picking a player who wouldn't be considered a first-round player for them. If that's the case, they might as well trade back.
Despite the Eagles' free agency losses, they have a core of players who make them contenders for the next few years at least. So if they have a chance to trade for a proven star, such as Bengals' edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, then why not put together a package of picks for him?
As mentioned above, the Eagles have 20 picks combined this year and next year. So it could be something like a Day 2 pick this year and next, for example, for someone like Hendrickson.
Every indication is that the Eagles plan on moving on from tight end Dallas Goedert. They showed this by signing two tight ends in free agency, albeit to one-year deals. That has set the Eagles up for drafting Goedert's successor, perhaps in the second or third round. For the Eagles, that could be either LSU's Mason Taylor or Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr., who led all FBS receivers in both catches (117) and yards (1,555).
Celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win with our new book
No one likes drafting along the defensive line as much as Roseman. And after Milton Williams left in free agency to sign a four-year deal worth as much as $104 million with New England, the rotation can certainly use more depth. That's independent on whether the Eagles pick up Jordan Davis' fifth-year option for 2026. This draft is deep at defensive tackle. So if the Eagles are picking in the third or fourth round, and Mississippi's J.J. Pegues, for example, is available, then he can possibly become the next Williams. Remember, Williams was a third-round pick in 2021.
DRIVING THE TRAIN: This position is an Eagles' train wreck in NFL draft. The player who can change that
HOWIE'S WORST PICKS: Ranking Eagles 9 biggest draft busts going back to 2020. Why Jalen Reagor isn't No. 1
HOWIE'S BEST: Ranking Eagles Howie Roseman's top 9 NFL draft home runs. Can anyone top Jalen Hurts?
Can Kelee Ringo fill Darius Slay's spot? Perhaps. But why would a Super Bowl caliber team take that risk when the Eagles can use a pick or two to trade for an established star like Jalen Ramsey. Sure, Ramsey's best days might be behind him. But after losing both Slay and top backup Isaiah Rodgers, the Eagles only have one cornerback who has started more games than rookie Quinyon Mitchell did last season. That is Adoree Jackson, who lost his starting job with the Giants last season.
It's too soon to know if Nakobe Dean will be ready to start the season after tearing his patellar tendon in the playoffs. It can't hurt to be prepared if not, especially with Ben VanSumeren recovering from a torn ACL. That's not to say that a Day 3 pick has to start right away because the Eagles do have Jeremiah Trotter entering his second season. But it can't hurt to add depth, so perhaps one of the Eagles' four fifth-round picks can go for a linebacker.
Buy our Eagles commemorative photo pages
Veteran cornerback Adoree Jackson is signed for one year. Reed Blankenship is on the final year of his contract. Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum are unproven. So the Eagles need depth behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Perhaps someone drafted on Day 3 emerges a year or two down the road, while working in on special teams this year.
You would think the Eagles are set at running back with superstar Saquon Barkley and a veteran backup in A.J. Dillon, along with Will Shipley, the Eagles' fourth-round pick last season. But you can never have enough depth. And a Day 3 running back would have time to develop and fill in should injury strike one of the backs ahead of him. Besides, it can never hurt to have special teams help. Think someone like Delaware's Marcus Yarns, a good pass catcher, should the Eagles end up with a seventh-round pick.
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Eagles can ace 2025 NFL Draft: 7 best-case scenarios
Continue reading...
The end-of-round picks are the spoils of winning the Super Bowl. But to become a perennial Super Bowl contender like the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reached the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons, the Eagles will have to get creative.
That's because the NFL's system makes it harder to form dynasties, both with the harder schedule and with the top teams picking at the end of each round.
Then again, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has never let draft positioning impact his moves, either trading up to get a player he wants, or trading back to stockpile more picks.
"I think that being aggressive has always been part of my DNA," Roseman said.
Then he expounded upon his philosophy of picking at the end of the first round.
"We always take the worst-case scenario and work back from that," Roseman said. "We've got to be really comfortable with whatever is our worst-case scenario, which will always entail getting a good player. There are never 32 first-round grades on our board. We don't have 32 first round grades in this draft."
So what does the best-case scenario look like for the Eagles in the NFL draft? Here are 7 ways they can ace the draft:
You must be registered for see images attach
1. Trade up for Shemar Stewart or Malaki Starks
Sure, there's a chance that the Eagles could stand pat at No. 32, and hope that a good player falls to them. But that doesn't seem likely if Roseman doesn't have 32 first-round grades on players.
Why move up as opposed to trading out of the first round and stockpiling more picks? Because the Eagles have eight picks this year − all in the first five rounds − and as many as 12 picks next year. So Roseman has the means to get a player he wants.
Who is that player? There are two who can end up in the Eagles' range in the late 20s, thus necessitating a trade − Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart, who ran a 4.59 40 at the combine despite weighing 267 pounds; and Georgia safety Malaki Starks, who can start right away at either safety or nickel.
If the Eagles wait until No. 32, both of those players could be gone, and they might be picking a player who wouldn't be considered a first-round player for them. If that's the case, they might as well trade back.
You must be registered for see images attach
2. Use a package of picks to trade for a star player
Despite the Eagles' free agency losses, they have a core of players who make them contenders for the next few years at least. So if they have a chance to trade for a proven star, such as Bengals' edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons, then why not put together a package of picks for him?
As mentioned above, the Eagles have 20 picks combined this year and next year. So it could be something like a Day 2 pick this year and next, for example, for someone like Hendrickson.
You must be registered for see images attach
3. Find Dallas Goedert's successor at tight end
Every indication is that the Eagles plan on moving on from tight end Dallas Goedert. They showed this by signing two tight ends in free agency, albeit to one-year deals. That has set the Eagles up for drafting Goedert's successor, perhaps in the second or third round. For the Eagles, that could be either LSU's Mason Taylor or Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr., who led all FBS receivers in both catches (117) and yards (1,555).
Celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win with our new book
4. Find the next Milton Williams at defensive tackle
No one likes drafting along the defensive line as much as Roseman. And after Milton Williams left in free agency to sign a four-year deal worth as much as $104 million with New England, the rotation can certainly use more depth. That's independent on whether the Eagles pick up Jordan Davis' fifth-year option for 2026. This draft is deep at defensive tackle. So if the Eagles are picking in the third or fourth round, and Mississippi's J.J. Pegues, for example, is available, then he can possibly become the next Williams. Remember, Williams was a third-round pick in 2021.
DRIVING THE TRAIN: This position is an Eagles' train wreck in NFL draft. The player who can change that
HOWIE'S WORST PICKS: Ranking Eagles 9 biggest draft busts going back to 2020. Why Jalen Reagor isn't No. 1
HOWIE'S BEST: Ranking Eagles Howie Roseman's top 9 NFL draft home runs. Can anyone top Jalen Hurts?
4. Make a trade for an established cornerback
Can Kelee Ringo fill Darius Slay's spot? Perhaps. But why would a Super Bowl caliber team take that risk when the Eagles can use a pick or two to trade for an established star like Jalen Ramsey. Sure, Ramsey's best days might be behind him. But after losing both Slay and top backup Isaiah Rodgers, the Eagles only have one cornerback who has started more games than rookie Quinyon Mitchell did last season. That is Adoree Jackson, who lost his starting job with the Giants last season.
You must be registered for see images attach
5. Add more depth at linebacker
It's too soon to know if Nakobe Dean will be ready to start the season after tearing his patellar tendon in the playoffs. It can't hurt to be prepared if not, especially with Ben VanSumeren recovering from a torn ACL. That's not to say that a Day 3 pick has to start right away because the Eagles do have Jeremiah Trotter entering his second season. But it can't hurt to add depth, so perhaps one of the Eagles' four fifth-round picks can go for a linebacker.
Buy our Eagles commemorative photo pages
6. Nickel and dime-ing in the secondary
Veteran cornerback Adoree Jackson is signed for one year. Reed Blankenship is on the final year of his contract. Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum are unproven. So the Eagles need depth behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Perhaps someone drafted on Day 3 emerges a year or two down the road, while working in on special teams this year.
7. Why the Eagles should draft a running back on Day 3
You would think the Eagles are set at running back with superstar Saquon Barkley and a veteran backup in A.J. Dillon, along with Will Shipley, the Eagles' fourth-round pick last season. But you can never have enough depth. And a Day 3 running back would have time to develop and fill in should injury strike one of the backs ahead of him. Besides, it can never hurt to have special teams help. Think someone like Delaware's Marcus Yarns, a good pass catcher, should the Eagles end up with a seventh-round pick.
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Eagles can ace 2025 NFL Draft: 7 best-case scenarios
Continue reading...
