Eagles 2019 Draft: What Went Down
The Eagles left the 2019 NFL draft on Sunday with 5 total selections, not including any undrafted free agents they may sign.
- –Andre Dillard (OT, Washington State) was drafted at 22 overall after a trade with the Ravens. The Eagles gave up picks 125 and 197 to move up from 25 to 22.
- –Miles Sanders (RB, Penn State) was selected with the first of the Eagles two 2nd round picks at 53.
- –JJ Arcega-Whiteside (WR, Stanford) was the second of the Eagles 2nd round picks at 57.
- –Shareef Miller (DE, Penn State) was the last pick of the 4th round, at 138 overall.
- –Clayton Thorsen (QB, Northwestern) was taken at pick 167 in the 5th round making him the Eagles last selection of the draft.
Looking at the draft as a whole, it is disappointing that the Eagles only ended up making 5 selections. They entered the draft with 7 total picks (one 1st, two 2nds, two 4ths, one 5th, and one 6th), but, as a result of the trade with the Ravens, they lost two of their day 3 picks (one 4th, and 6th round pick). They did recoup a 7th round pick via a trade with the Patriots but ended up trading that to the Colts for defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway. This runs contrary to the strategy that Jeffrey Lurie outlined in March at the NFL annual meetings, saying “We believe in volume. We’re not cocky enough to feel that you’re going to draft way better than anybody else, and it’s very important to create volume.”
Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP
With that said, the decision to trade up for Dillard was a smart one. He was considered to be a top 10 talent heading into the draft and plays a premium position at left tackle. He needs some refinement in his run-blocking but was widely considered the best pass-blocking tackle in the draft. The hope is that he protects Carson Wentz’s blindside for the next decade to come. The decision to trade up proved wise as the Texans were expected to take him with their at pick 23. Giving up two Day 3 selections is hardly a steep price to pay to secure a franchise left tackle.
Many predicted that the Eagles were going to trade back from one of their 2nd round picks in order to secure more picks later on in the draft, but they stood pat and made both selections. With those selections, the Eagles took two offensive skill position players in Miles Sanders (RB) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (WR). Of these two, I liked the Sanders pick more than the Arcega-Whiteside pick.
Photo: Joe Hermitt/PennLive
Sanders was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school but had to sit behind Saquon Barkley his first two years at Penn State. Once Barkley moved on to the NFL Sanders showed how talented he is. In his only year starting he had 220 carries for 1,274 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 9 touchdowns. He also added 24 catches for 139 yards through the air per Sports-Reference. In addition to Sanders’ production on the field, he also came through at the combine posting a 4.49 second 40, per Mock-Draftable. He will need to prove he can pass-protect, but if the Eagles can coach him up like they did with Corey Clement then he should end the season as the starting running back.
The Arcega-Whiteside pick made a little less sense to me. He has a skill-set that is very similar to Alshon Jeffery as he succeeds at high-pointing the football and boxing out defenders to make contested catches. He lacks nuance as a route-runner as he struggles to create separation in and out of breaks and has issues with defenders being able to read his routes when the play starts. He will certainly help in the red zone, but this was not an area of need as the Eagles currently have 3 red-zone monsters in Alshon, Zach Ertz, and Dallas Goedert.
All off-season the Eagles had been showing interest in shifty speed receivers as the offense struggled to stretch the field in 2018. DeSean Jackson will help for the next season or two, but at 32 years old he is no spring chicken. It is fair to wonder if they were planning on drafting Mecole Hardman, the speedster out of Georgia before the Chiefs traded up to select him one pick before the Eagles had the chance. All things considered, the Eagles went into the draft with the goal to add weapons surrounding Carson Wentz so it is hard to be too critical of the pick. Wentz is their crown jewel and the Eagles have enough high-end talent and depth on offense that they should be a top 5 unit this upcoming season.
Photo: Yong Kim/Philly.com
I would have preferred the Eagles use pick 57 on a defensive player with safety Juan Thornhill, and defensive tackles Dre’mont Jones and Trysten Hill still on the board. Hill, the DT out of UCF, could really come back to bite them as he was selected the very next pick by the Cowboys. I viewed safety as a lower priority need as they can potentially slide Avonte Maddox to that spot and an overall devaluing of the position in recent years makes it possible to find safety help in free agency. So, I think that Jones or Hill would have been a better pick here.
Heading into the draft I thought the Eagles most important need was to get younger on the defensive line. They have a lot of talent overall, but not much young talent. Derrick Barnett (age 22) can be counted on as a young piece to build around, but that’s it. Second-year player Josh Sweat has the athletic measurables, but he showed nothing his rookie year so any contribution from him should be viewed as a bonus. World-Destroyer Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson are both in their late 20s while Brandon Graham, Chris Long (who is looking unlikely to return), and Vinny Curry are all over 30.
Photo: NBC Sports Philadelphia Staff
That is why coming out of the draft with only a 4th round pick invested into the defensive line is a disappointment. Shareef Miller is an easy story for the fans to root for, but he needs a lot of work to become consistent. NFL.com describes him as a “projection based defensive end who with good size and athletic traits but a lack of functional skill at this point. Miller doesn’t play with early, aggressive hands in the run game or as a rusher and that severely limits his consistency in both areas. His lack of instincts as a rusher is a concern, but improving his approach at the top of the rush should be coachable. He’s a rangy edge defender with moldable traits, but until he’ll be stuck in a holding pattern of “potential” until he develops his fundamentals.”
The Eagles surprised some by picking a quarterback in the 5th round, but those who have been following the words of Doug Pederson and Jeffery Lurie should not be too surprised. At the annual meetings referenced earlier, Lurie said that he wants the Eagles to get back into the habit of drafting a quarterback every other year. With Nate Sudfeld on the last year of his deal and no other QB of note on the roster, it makes sense to invest in the position. A defensive player would have been preferred here, but any player drafted in the 5th round or later is unlikely to contribute on an NFL team regardless of position.
Ultimately the Eagles will be judged on the success of their top 3 picks. If Dillard develops into a franchise left tackle, Sanders a 3-down back, and Arcega-Whiteside even 80% of what Alshon Jeffery is, then nobody will complain about the lack of picks. It was clear they went into the draft with one thing in mind: helping Carson Wentz. While it is easy to criticize the Eagles for using 1 of their only 5 picks on the defensive side of the ball, the reality is this team will go as far as Wentz takes them.
With that in mind, you can’t fault them for trying to surround him with as much young talent as possible.
Overall draft grade: B
Featured Photo: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
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