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I think it is safe to say the Philadelphia Eagles Front Office, led by GM Howie Roseman, took care of business in Free Agency signing key players at key positions, without strapping the team financially moving forward. Now the next task at hand is the 2017 NFL Draft, that took place in our home of Philadelphia on the Ben Franklin Parkway, on the steps of the Art Museum. It seems as if the draft couldn't have gone any better, which is a great thing for the city and hopefully it will be back next year, but just think, if it weren't for Minnesota trading their 1st Round pick to us for QB Sam Bradford things would've gone a lot differently and not been nearly as big of a success, so thank you Minnesota! Back to business, the Eagles definitely still had holes to fill at CB, RB, and other positions moving forward so this draft was very important, with that being said I believe they took care of those needs but not conventionally and not for this season specifically.
- Round 1: Pick 14: DE Derek Barnett (Tennessee)
- 6'3", 295 lbs. Broke Reggie White's Tennessee Career Sack Record (Had to mention it)
- Was I in love with the pick? No, not because of the player, but because it wasn't sexy. I really wanted them to grab Alabama LB Reuben Foster (who went 31 to the 49ers, who had a hell of a draft) or another talent at more of a position of need even though DE is a big need. With Marshon Lattimore falling to the Saints at 12 I thought maybe there was a chance he would fall in the Eagles lap and the early run on Wide Receivers didn't help either. Barnett is a high motor guy, who can get after the Quarterback and stop the run, which sometimes can be a rarity with DE's. Positives with Barnett is that he has no wasted movements and studies and perfects his craft so he can be the best edge rusher he can. A negative that more of the combine guru's will flag him for is that he is not 40-time fast, but to me he plays game-speed fast. Barnett after his poor combine results went on the say "I'm a football player, not a track star". He has a good attitude and knows what he needs to improve on and that was visible at his Press Conference last Friday. Will he pan out in the NFL and make an impact for the Eagles, I believe so. I know we have had bad luck with early drafted DE's, but I think Barnett can change those fortunes immediately.
- Draft Pick Grade: B+
- Round 2: Pick 43: CB Sidney Jones (Washington)
- 6'0", 186 lbs. Tore Achillies at Washington Pro-Day (Could miss all of 2017)
- LOVE LOVE LOVE this pick! I wanted Jones at 14 before the injury hands down, pound the table, beat the drum, the whole 9 yards, yada, yada, yada. No one on the Corner has swagger like Sidney! (See what I did there?) As aforementioned, Jones could miss all of 2017, but the value and potential of what Jones could be is worth the pick at 43 in my opinion. At 6'0" and arm length of 31.5 inches, Jones has prototypical size for a corner back and played the position well. Jones' player comparison is to current Kansas City Chiefs CB Marcus Peters, who also spent most of his college career as a Washington Huskie. Jones is a chance taking ball hawk who is as smart of a corner as he is aggressive. Jones doesn't just use his physical skills and natural athleticism to get the job done but he does a great job at knowing where he is on the field at all times and forces the WR he is up against to the outside giving the WR and QB little room to complete a pass against him in bounds. WARNING: Though a terrific player, an achillies injury to a corner is tough to recover from due to constant cutting, running and back-pedaling, but if he does fully recover the Eagles will have a shutdown corner who will be able to live on an island comfortably.
- Draft Pick Grade: A+ (Based on Value/Potential)
- Round 3: Pick 99: CB Rasul Douglas (West Virginia University)
- 6'2", 209 lbs. Tied for lead in the Nation with 8 Interceptions.
- In the round prior, the Eagles drafted a (great) corner, but as I said before there is a good chance Sidney Jones will not play at all in 2017. That being said Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas, Director of Scouting, went right back to work in round 3 and went back-to-back cornerbacks. This time, assuming he can stay healthy, Rasul Douglas will be fighting for a starting spot on the Eagles improved defense as a rookie or at least make an impact where he can. Where Sidney Jones has prototypical size for a corner as I mentioned before, Douglas has exceptional size for a corner! Besides the fact he's 6'2", 209 lbs. he has even better arm length at 32 3/8 inches which helps him cover his competition. Not only is Rasul Douglas a ball hawk, who was tied for the Nation lead with 8 Interceptions (with FSU CB Tarvarus McFadden), but his long size helps him be extra aggressive and could be a great press corner in this league, which Jim Schwartz's defense is predicated on. This isn't too bold of a statement with the state of the Eagles Corners, but I believe Douglas will be starting opposite CB Jalen Mills on Week 1 in Washington.
- Draft Pick Grade: A
- NOTE: Eagles originally had the 74th overall pick, but traded it to Baltimore for DT Timmy Jurnigan and the 99th overall pick, which is a humongous boost for the D-Line after the loss of DT Bennie Logan to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jurnigan is a former 2nd round pick of the Ravens, where Joe Douglas was pretty much responsible for making this pick. The only reason why Jurnigan was traded from Baltimore was due to a crowded D-Line and the fact DT Brandon Williams just got a huge contract, where Jurnigan will be eligible to get paid after this season and Baltimore could not afford both.
- Round 4: Pick 118: WR Mack Hollins (UNC)
- 6'4", 221 lbs. Potentially a Special Teams Star.
- This was a surprise pick for me in the 4th round and not because of position, but because of the kind of receiver they went after. The Eagles definitely upgraded the Wide Receiver position in Free Agency with the signings of WR Alshon Jeffery and WR Torrey Smith, but there was still a need to bring in more competition for the core that was here, even including Jordan Matthews (who yes I know I am hard on). Here's the thing though, Hollins most likely will not be a prototypical WR in the league. He actually has Alshon Jeffery size and speed and will be used like him, when he is actually in the game though. In college Hollins was used in less than 50% of UNC's snaps on offense as he was used to be a big play/stretch the field type of receiver. I think Hollins can be a better version of Former Eagles WR Riley Cooper (don't kill me!), but I think his real impact will be on Special Teams and could replace S Chris Maragos as a Special Teams Captain in the future.
- Draft Pick Grade: C
- Round 4: Pick 126: RB Donnel Pumphrey (San Diego St.)
- 5'8", 175 lbs. Darren Sproles' Replacement? Broke Marshall Faulk's records at SDSU.
- With the Eagles 2nd pick of the 4th round they finally took a Running, who many believed it was too little, too late, which I don't wholeheartedly disagree with. There were many among-st the fan base that clamored for FSU RB Dalvin Cook or Stanford RB Christian McCaffery or even me who wanted Oklahoma troubled RB Joe Mixon, but the Eagles stood pat and didn't give up too much to grab one, since there was a rumor the Vikings jumped the Eagles to grab Cook in the 2nd round. Would I have loved to see them grab a 3 down back? Sure, but with the development of this team I think next year is the year they invest in a franchise Running Back one way or another. Insert Pumphrey, the small scatback, who is the Darren Sproles clone. It makes too much sense here that they went this route. Now whether or not he can do the things Sproles has done has yet to be seen, but I like the value of the pick because after the majority of the aforementioned RB's there was a big drop off. Let's give Pumphrey time to adjust to the NFL, if he pans out for the Eagles its going to be in year 2 or 3 and at this point you gotta trust the process!
- Draft Pick Grade: B
- Round 5: Pick 166: WR Shelton Gibson (West Virginia University)
- 5'11", 191 lbs. Everyone (myself included) will look for a Desean Comparison.
- Besides the size aspect of the Eagles 4th Round selection in UNC WR Mack Hollins, I believe that Gibson will have a much greater impact at offensive Wide Receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles throughout both of their careers. This is obviously a Boom or Bust pick, as most Wide Receivers and Corner Backs are, but with his size and big play ability, especially in the Big 12, you never know if a player of his calibre will translate or not. He does have Desean Jackson type skills with his game speed and ability to track a ball in the air as well as he does. Here's the difference Jackson has proven he can do it against bigger Corners in the NFL, can Gibson? Jackson was drafted in the 2nd round and played in a conference with better defenses. I absolute think Gibson can sky-rocket up the depth chart past wide receivers Bryce Treggs, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Nelson Agholor if he can do what he does best and act out his best Desean Jackson impersonation. Love the value of the pick!
- Draft Pick Grade: B+
- Round 5: Pick 184: S Nate Perry (Nebraska)
- 6'2", 218 lbs. Can he be converted into a Linebacker?
- To be honest I don't know much about Nate Perry and I don't think many people do, unless you are a draftoholic. When you get to this point in the draft it becomes a game of chance taking as GM's are now just trying to find Diamonds in the Rough that are very inexpensive going forward. From what I've gathered is Perry is a hard-hitting safety who was very calculated in coverage as he was not the most talented on the field but he could defend the ball in the air and make tackles at the line of scrimmage. That being said, I heard a rumor that the team is looking to maybe mold him into a Linebacker, which this team desperately a 3rd Linebacker alongside Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham. Disclaimer: these player-position changes fail more than they pass in the NFL but it is worth a shot. Perry's best chance to make it onto the team will be on Special Teams, so we will see how that goes.
- Draft Pick Grade: B-
- Round 6: Pick 214: DT Elijah Qualls (Washington)
- 6'1", 313 lbs. Versatility and close to home for CB Sidney Jones.
- The Eagles used their last selection of the 2017 NFL Draft on Qualls, who can play various positions on the D-Line. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz, loves players who can be versatile and he fits the mold but the only issue is that even after the departure of DT Bennie Logan as I mentioned earlier, the D-Line is crowded and he will have to standout above DL Beau Allen to make the team in my estimation. With how good Washington's defense I think there is a chance and he had a good deal to do with that but Beau Allen has already proven he belongs in the NFL, so it will be an uphill climb for Qualls. Best of Luck!
- Draft Pick Grade: B
Conclusion
Did the draft go exactly as I would've predicted? No, but I don't get paid to do this for the team. I truly believe they have a plan and I think they executed. As I mentioned before I got into my pick summaries, they made moves for the future and not for immediate success. I think they executed a nice combo of bringing in players who can make immediate impacts and who will be future assets going forward. The one area I wished they addressed earlier was adding a legit Linebacker in the draft as that was a big position of need for me. I believe the difference in this year's draft with Joe Douglas compared to drafts prior is that they 100% stuck to his big board and if a player they coveted was not there at the desired pick they found a way to trade back and then trade up to a spot where they could find someone else they desire, essentially a kill two birds with one stone type of theory. Time will tell how this draft pans out, but I am proud of the job Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas did.
- 2017 PSS Philadelphia Eagles Draft Grade: A
- Like I said I am proud of what they did, especially because I think Howie took a step back and let Joe Douglas have control of the draft board. This is not a biased pick, I am just very satisfied with the draft as I believe we will really reap the benefits in 2018.
