The Eagles’ Biggest Needs in 2020 NFL Draft? DE and (Backup) QB
Now that the 2020 NFL Draft and free agency rumors are in full swing, the Philadelphia Eagles must join the conversations in order to figure out their biggest personnel needs in order to defend their NFC East title and move forward in the postseason.
Most pundits agree that speed in the form of more wide receivers who are different than the current Eagles WR corps is an absolute necessity. However, other key positions must be shored up quickly to make sure that the Eagles stay ahead of the NFC East rebuilding campaigns being waged in New York, Dallas, and Washington.
All teams have new head coaches who are moving those organizations into newer directions to knock off the Eagles in 2020.
Defensive End
Brandon Graham is a rock-steady stalwart at DE for the Eagles and is a team leader on the defensive side of the ball. However, the pass rush is solely on his shoulders and in the day and age of the NFL passing game this part of the defensive scheme is absolutely critical or your defense will give up huge points each game.
The Eagles can easily look to the NFL Draft to find quality young players who are either traditional DE’s or edge rushers from the Linebacker ranks (usually 3-4 defensive schemes) who can bring that additional pass pressure and give Brandon Graham some relief. This year’s Draft is loaded with potential picks at these positions including Chase Young from Ohio State who is considered by many to be a Top 10 draft pick and maybe unavailable by the time the Eagles are on the clock in the first round. Other top DE candidates include A.J. Espensa from Iowa who looks to be another first or early second-round pick.
Kenny Willekes // Michigan State
Kenny Willekes from Michigan State, a 6-4, 260 lb. edge rusher is also a leading candidate to bring outside pressure on quarterbacks but maybe more of an NFL outside linebacker than a traditional DE.
Trevis Gipson // Tulsa
Another solid player who may be a bargain pick in the later rounds at DE is Trevis Gipson out of Tulsa. Gipson, a 6-4, 268 lb. traditional DE earned a Senior Bowl invitation and could end up being a solid player at the next level and potential later round pick for the Eagles.
Quarterback
No one is talking about replacing Carson Wentz as the starting QB in Philadelphia. Wentz is a fan favorite and when he is hot, he can seem to do just about anything on the field offensively. Wentz’s gritty style of no quit, no surrender type of playmaking at the end of the season helped the Eagles clinch the NFC East and gain a new life in the NFC Wild Card playoff round.
The bad news is that Carson Wentz has been and may continue to be injury-prone at the worst moments and Doug Pederson must stock up on QB’s who can step in and lead this team and not just be a body filler but another team leader like Carson Wentz. Nick Foles did this and helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl. Josh McCown will go down in Eagles’ history as a 40-year-old QB who literally sacrificed his body just to bring one more playoff victory and will no doubt be remembered for years to come. These are all great QB stories but in today’s NFL, a team cannot count on legends and stories but on real players who can step in not if but when they are necessary.
All fans have to do is look around and see how many NFL teams finished up with backup QBs by the end of the season to realize that this position needs to be adequately stocked with quality players who are instant team leaders.
Nate Sudfield remains a question mark going into the 2020 season and now the Eagles staff and front office need to look at some young QB’s in the upcoming Draft in order to back up Carson Wentz.
Jake Fromm // Georgia
One of the top QBs not being mentioned in the first round of the Draft is Jake Fromm from Georgia. Fromm is an accurate QB and an efficient game manager who plays tough and should be available in the later Draft rounds.
Jalen Hurts // Oklahoma
Another potential pick who surprisingly may be available in the later rounds is Jalen Hurts from Oklahoma. Hurts is uniquely used to moving in and out of the starting QB role and has also been used in offensive package schemes so Hurts may be a great backup to Carson Wentz in his own right. Hurts is known to be a scrambler and fights for yardage and was used by Nick Saban at Alabama to step into high-pressure situations which may well translate to success in the NFL.
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Categorized:Eagles