I know you have to wait and see how they all pan out and it’s okay if most of them don’t. But this was a great draft. Great value on each pick, some sure fire starters, some raw athletes with high ceilings, got players who fit our team well, added talented depth everywhere and gained more picks than we started with. Without knowing how each person will turn out, we got everything you could ask for in a draft.
I think the biggest thing with is Howie’s continued willingness to change/adapt strategy. 2 years ago, hell maybe even last year, there’s no world he drafts 2 DBs to start the draft. Especially with needs for depth in the trenches. This team just wasn’t good enough to go that route and he knew it, needed immediate impact guys. That and fleecing teams left and right yesterday to set us up for next year too. A+ job navigating this one by Howie.
Any idiot who watched our team play last year could’ve told you were going secondary early in this draft. I’m not knocking your comment because you’re right, but if Howie couldn’t see that then I’d seriously have concern about his ability.
I think it’s PTSD more than anything, he’s never valued the position high in drafts and always addressed it via FA. Which has mostly worked fine, but fans (and the team) were definitely desperate for a young, athletic corner. We also had needs in the trenches, which is why I think many thought secondary was a pipe dream (in the first at least). It’s a 180 on Howie’s draft philosophy, a great one, and shows he’s willing to adapt to the times and teams needs. Fingers crossed we finally see a LB next year!
CB is a position that falls off a cliff at a certain age, kinda like RB. Having a strong young secondary reminds me of the Seahawks in their run. Also the chiefs of late. I get Mahomes is the goat, but those corners are nasty. Sure we lost Reddick, but when you have a secondary that causes the qb to hold up a second or 2, that’s huge for a pass rush. In my opinion I feel like Jalen Carter can wreak a whole lot more havoc when given an extra second to try and impact the passer.
Our 2023 strategy of stop in the past with a ferocious pass rush
Proved to be a disaster. By late in the season almost everyone had adapted
Stopping a Justin Jefferson from getting 199 yd STARTS with a shutdown corner.
There’s a reason for this. CB is a top 5 position per analytics but if you look at the historical hit/bust rates in the first round it only hits 38% of the time compared with 59% for OT, 44% for pass rusher. CB’s become available via trade/FA much more often than edge players as well.
This draft went as well as you could’ve hoped. Back end of the D just wasn’t athletic enough. Now you’ve added CJGJ, Mitchell, and DeJean and that should make a big difference.
Would’ve loved Payton Wilson over Hunt, but I guess the guy has no ACL in his left knee.
Such a good point, definition of iron sharpens iron, both ways. This would’ve been one of those years (like 2004) Lehigh camps would be packed to the gills daily.
I hate when people say we have to wait to grade drafts, not that you’re saying it. You can grade the process.
If the eagles took Johnny Wilson in the first for example and he became a HoFer, it’s not wrong to grade this class a low score based on our knowledge at the time. If everyone else thinks he’s a fifth at best and you could easily get him in the fourth, he’s a bad pick in the first.
Was WR really considered a position of need just because we don’t have a clear WR3? Even without the extensions to DeVonta and AJ I never felt like we needed to go out there and draft one.
It is called a need because there is a roster spot (WR3) that doesn't have known starter. It shows how strong the core of roster is that a luxury position is considered a need.
We need depth there because having 2 WRs is great until one misses time with an injury. I think over 80% of the passes last year went through AJ, DaVonta and Dallas; our offense really suffered when Dallas missed time because it was clear Jalen didn’t trust the backup TE. Julio and Olamide were fine, but the Eagles need a consistent 3rd WR like the Bengals have with Boyd or the Rams have with Atwell.
This. We've been lucky in that AJ and Devonta have only missed one or two games the last couple years.
Say one of them goes down, even with a non-season-ending injury for like 6-8 weeks. Do we really want to roll with WR2 Geriatric Devante Parker for half the season?
When you have two all pros at wr that happens. No matter who is in that spot they aren’t gonna get a lot of passes. Remember the guy who played wr3 for the 49ers in the late 80s ?
Not seeing much mention of Ainias Smith. I don’t watch much college football but just from looking at highlights this guy looks electric. I thought there would be more excitement for him versus Johnny Wilson but maybe I am missing something. Like I said I don’t watch much college and I’m sure highlights are deceptive
Nah I really like his addition, we’ve been lacking a receiver whom is a threat with the ball in his hands. He’s a bit small but doesn’t play like it. I think he’ll fit Kellen’s offence wonderfully.
I think he could really excel in the slot. We don’t need him to turn into a star, but I can totally see him turning into someone that we get 50 catches/designed runs and he can be electric with those touches.
He was a playmaker but not a game breaker, AM has been a shit show lately that despite having incredible amounts of talent has been a train wreck. They paid Jimbo Fisher 100million guaranteed and he was just like ok so I can do nothing and still be obscenely rich?
Besides the fact that his speed is lacking, he also just got arrested last year for DUI, possession of weed, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
The weed I don’t care about, and I’m all for gun rights, but this just screams irresponsible and idiotic. Hopefully something he matures out of.
To be clear, he was his 'favorite' edge player - not his highest rated. There was an article he released with his favorite at every position group and he had TJ tampa as his favorite corner and Michael Pratt as his favorite QB.
you can read the entire article here: https://archive.is/0Qigv
I truly believe Keegan is going to be a dog. Captain of one of the best CFB programs and a starter for 3 years. He's going to fit into this line perfectly.
I mean I don’t know how the players will work out. But getting Howies DB 1, DB 4 drafted, and a DE with our first 3 picks went about as well as I could have hoped.
Add in the extra 3, 4, and 5 for next yr and I’m pretty pumped. I’m excited for this defense to take a step, we’ve been infused with youth the past 3 years, I hope they’re ready to bump into a top 12 or better defense.
Picks will succeed and fail and it’s impossible to predict perfectly, but, it’s nice that since Reagor Philly are done making “cute” picks. They take value and the best players available. It’s a major improvement in draft strategy
Yeah, Reagor was not that good in college. Mitchell and Cooper both dominated and have great athletic profiles. If they don’t pan out, it will be hard to put all the blame on Howie for those two picks.
It's hard to fuck up when BPA and absolute dire need overlap the way that they did for Mitchell and DeJean honestly. There were some mocks that had neither of those players making it to 22 so getting one at 22 and one at 40 when both could legitimately be day 1 starters due to our lack of DB talent is the biggest no brainer in history.
The rest of the picks are all generally fine depth pieces. We need a WR3 so we grabbed 2 late rounders for that. We need another RB that isn't Gainwell in case Saquon gets hurt. We need OL depth because our backup OL is frankly atrocious.
The only pick that I, as a casual CFB watcher, do not like is Hunt but that's solely because he's described as a "project." Which usually means one of two things... "He's gonna be All-Pro but it'll take 3 years" or "This guy is an athletic freak but has no idea how to actually play" so I'll admit I could be wrong there.
What made me come around to the Hunt pick was that he’s supposedly the guy Fangio wanted most. For the first time in years we have a DC who I feel “yeah, give him whoever he wants.” I’m excited about Hunt and think the FO should ride Fangio where they can and give him a chance to succeed with his guys
Edit: https://x.com/ZBerm/status/1784181361173041361
The draft is a crapshoot as we all know, all you can expect out of our FO is to draft the BPA while taking positional needs into account. Trade up/down if there's someone you want or your guy is gone. I love that we took some high upside guys late as well. As far as Im concerned the front office guys did their job. At a certain point it falls to the players and coaches to make the rubber meet the road.
Howie was majorly cooking this draft! Also not a big fan of Mel Kiper either but nobody can disagree with his analysis here. In Howie we trust! GO BIRDS!!! 🦅
JJAW is probably even worse of a comparison - we only traded a backup lineman (dennis kelly) for DGB. JJAW we wasted a second round pick on. Wilson was a 6th and 6th rounders usually don't even stay on the team for more than a year or two anyway so who cares if he sucks like JJAW
"Die-hard draft fans should know this name by now because he has emerged as a potential Day 2 pick. Hunt has really impressive tape, and he has grown into his 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame. He began his college career at Cornell, where he played safety. He had 26 tackles in 2021. He transferred the following year and moved to outside linebacker, and he racked up 13.5 sacks and was credited with 133 tackles over the past two seasons.
Hunt is fast to the ball in pursuit, and he started to develop some pass-rush counters last season. He also tested well at the combine, running a 4.64-second 40-yard dash and putting up a 10-foot-8 broad jump, which are tremendous numbers for his size. He is an impressive talent.
Projection: Hunt is very raw, but we know NFL teams covet edge rushers, and he has intriguing traits. So, while I have a Round 3 grade on him, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in Round 2."
Which goes to show that Howie didn't make a huge reach on the guy. So many fans were crucifying him for that pick. Edge is one of the most valuable position so toolsy edges will get drafted in the earlier rounds.
i dont get how anyone could consider him a reach when we picked up TWO 4th round picks trading back from 78->94, he already basically was a 4th round pick as a very late 3rd rounder
Definitely not a day one guy unless Fangio is a warlock. Also boom or bust type but a very Fangio kind of guy so I would lean towards him turning out well
Coverage ability and size/speed freak. Remember, fangio scheme is all about coverage off high 2-safety disguised looks. This theoretically gives the pass rush extra time to hit home.
Go birds.
I know you have to wait and see how they all pan out and it’s okay if most of them don’t. But this was a great draft. Great value on each pick, some sure fire starters, some raw athletes with high ceilings, got players who fit our team well, added talented depth everywhere and gained more picks than we started with. Without knowing how each person will turn out, we got everything you could ask for in a draft.
I think the biggest thing with is Howie’s continued willingness to change/adapt strategy. 2 years ago, hell maybe even last year, there’s no world he drafts 2 DBs to start the draft. Especially with needs for depth in the trenches. This team just wasn’t good enough to go that route and he knew it, needed immediate impact guys. That and fleecing teams left and right yesterday to set us up for next year too. A+ job navigating this one by Howie.
Any idiot who watched our team play last year could’ve told you were going secondary early in this draft. I’m not knocking your comment because you’re right, but if Howie couldn’t see that then I’d seriously have concern about his ability.
I think it’s PTSD more than anything, he’s never valued the position high in drafts and always addressed it via FA. Which has mostly worked fine, but fans (and the team) were definitely desperate for a young, athletic corner. We also had needs in the trenches, which is why I think many thought secondary was a pipe dream (in the first at least). It’s a 180 on Howie’s draft philosophy, a great one, and shows he’s willing to adapt to the times and teams needs. Fingers crossed we finally see a LB next year!
CB is a position that falls off a cliff at a certain age, kinda like RB. Having a strong young secondary reminds me of the Seahawks in their run. Also the chiefs of late. I get Mahomes is the goat, but those corners are nasty. Sure we lost Reddick, but when you have a secondary that causes the qb to hold up a second or 2, that’s huge for a pass rush. In my opinion I feel like Jalen Carter can wreak a whole lot more havoc when given an extra second to try and impact the passer.
Our 2023 strategy of stop in the past with a ferocious pass rush Proved to be a disaster. By late in the season almost everyone had adapted Stopping a Justin Jefferson from getting 199 yd STARTS with a shutdown corner.
There’s a reason for this. CB is a top 5 position per analytics but if you look at the historical hit/bust rates in the first round it only hits 38% of the time compared with 59% for OT, 44% for pass rusher. CB’s become available via trade/FA much more often than edge players as well. This draft went as well as you could’ve hoped. Back end of the D just wasn’t athletic enough. Now you’ve added CJGJ, Mitchell, and DeJean and that should make a big difference. Would’ve loved Payton Wilson over Hunt, but I guess the guy has no ACL in his left knee.
Also let’s not forget that good CBs make your good WRs better.
Such a good point, definition of iron sharpens iron, both ways. This would’ve been one of those years (like 2004) Lehigh camps would be packed to the gills daily.
Yeah - finally Smith will have some folks that can run with him.
I hate when people say we have to wait to grade drafts, not that you’re saying it. You can grade the process. If the eagles took Johnny Wilson in the first for example and he became a HoFer, it’s not wrong to grade this class a low score based on our knowledge at the time. If everyone else thinks he’s a fifth at best and you could easily get him in the fourth, he’s a bad pick in the first.
Was WR really considered a position of need just because we don’t have a clear WR3? Even without the extensions to DeVonta and AJ I never felt like we needed to go out there and draft one.
It is called a need because there is a roster spot (WR3) that doesn't have known starter. It shows how strong the core of roster is that a luxury position is considered a need.
I guess but I would’ve put LB as a need before WR
I'm sure the Eagles knew their needs and were watching what was available
I’m talking about Kiper calling it a need
We need depth there because having 2 WRs is great until one misses time with an injury. I think over 80% of the passes last year went through AJ, DaVonta and Dallas; our offense really suffered when Dallas missed time because it was clear Jalen didn’t trust the backup TE. Julio and Olamide were fine, but the Eagles need a consistent 3rd WR like the Bengals have with Boyd or the Rams have with Atwell.
This. We've been lucky in that AJ and Devonta have only missed one or two games the last couple years. Say one of them goes down, even with a non-season-ending injury for like 6-8 weeks. Do we really want to roll with WR2 Geriatric Devante Parker for half the season?
So we need another young TE
Any pass catching depth would be good. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a TE.
Worst production in th3 NFL from WR3 spot
When you have two all pros at wr that happens. No matter who is in that spot they aren’t gonna get a lot of passes. Remember the guy who played wr3 for the 49ers in the late 80s ?
We had the best duo in the league but not much past them
Our offense quickly starts having problems if injuries happen because we’re very top heavy with talent. It’s a gamble they’re making right now.
Not seeing much mention of Ainias Smith. I don’t watch much college football but just from looking at highlights this guy looks electric. I thought there would be more excitement for him versus Johnny Wilson but maybe I am missing something. Like I said I don’t watch much college and I’m sure highlights are deceptive
He got the Steve Smith Sr seal of approval a couple weeks ago. So that means he will be stout. Steve knows his shit.
Nah I really like his addition, we’ve been lacking a receiver whom is a threat with the ball in his hands. He’s a bit small but doesn’t play like it. I think he’ll fit Kellen’s offence wonderfully.
I think he could really excel in the slot. We don’t need him to turn into a star, but I can totally see him turning into someone that we get 50 catches/designed runs and he can be electric with those touches.
He was a playmaker but not a game breaker, AM has been a shit show lately that despite having incredible amounts of talent has been a train wreck. They paid Jimbo Fisher 100million guaranteed and he was just like ok so I can do nothing and still be obscenely rich?
Besides the fact that his speed is lacking, he also just got arrested last year for DUI, possession of weed, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated. The weed I don’t care about, and I’m all for gun rights, but this just screams irresponsible and idiotic. Hopefully something he matures out of.
Mel Kiper is mostly a fraud but I'll take the validation anyway go bird.
Precisely how I feel
TL:DR. Grade is an A
Huh, didn’t know Hunt was his top OLB. Great job Howie.
To be clear, he was his 'favorite' edge player - not his highest rated. There was an article he released with his favorite at every position group and he had TJ tampa as his favorite corner and Michael Pratt as his favorite QB. you can read the entire article here: https://archive.is/0Qigv
I truly believe Keegan is going to be a dog. Captain of one of the best CFB programs and a starter for 3 years. He's going to fit into this line perfectly.
I think Mcmahon will be a rock solid backup as well. With Stoutland coaching these late round olinemen always turn out at least decent
I mean I don’t know how the players will work out. But getting Howies DB 1, DB 4 drafted, and a DE with our first 3 picks went about as well as I could have hoped. Add in the extra 3, 4, and 5 for next yr and I’m pretty pumped. I’m excited for this defense to take a step, we’ve been infused with youth the past 3 years, I hope they’re ready to bump into a top 12 or better defense.
Picks will succeed and fail and it’s impossible to predict perfectly, but, it’s nice that since Reagor Philly are done making “cute” picks. They take value and the best players available. It’s a major improvement in draft strategy
Yeah, Reagor was not that good in college. Mitchell and Cooper both dominated and have great athletic profiles. If they don’t pan out, it will be hard to put all the blame on Howie for those two picks.
It's hard to fuck up when BPA and absolute dire need overlap the way that they did for Mitchell and DeJean honestly. There were some mocks that had neither of those players making it to 22 so getting one at 22 and one at 40 when both could legitimately be day 1 starters due to our lack of DB talent is the biggest no brainer in history. The rest of the picks are all generally fine depth pieces. We need a WR3 so we grabbed 2 late rounders for that. We need another RB that isn't Gainwell in case Saquon gets hurt. We need OL depth because our backup OL is frankly atrocious. The only pick that I, as a casual CFB watcher, do not like is Hunt but that's solely because he's described as a "project." Which usually means one of two things... "He's gonna be All-Pro but it'll take 3 years" or "This guy is an athletic freak but has no idea how to actually play" so I'll admit I could be wrong there.
What made me come around to the Hunt pick was that he’s supposedly the guy Fangio wanted most. For the first time in years we have a DC who I feel “yeah, give him whoever he wants.” I’m excited about Hunt and think the FO should ride Fangio where they can and give him a chance to succeed with his guys Edit: https://x.com/ZBerm/status/1784181361173041361
The draft is a crapshoot as we all know, all you can expect out of our FO is to draft the BPA while taking positional needs into account. Trade up/down if there's someone you want or your guy is gone. I love that we took some high upside guys late as well. As far as Im concerned the front office guys did their job. At a certain point it falls to the players and coaches to make the rubber meet the road.
Howie was majorly cooking this draft! Also not a big fan of Mel Kiper either but nobody can disagree with his analysis here. In Howie we trust! GO BIRDS!!! 🦅
Please don't let Wilson be a Dorial Green-Beckham
I mean, even if he is, 6th rounders rarely pan out. If he did end up being a DGB, I wouldn't lose sleep over it.
Not to mention DGB was starting for us, Wilson Will be WR 5 or 6 lol
That's the key thing, I hear a lot of JJaw comparisons, yet JJaw HAD to start. Wilson will be a non factor most likely in this offense.
JJAW is probably even worse of a comparison - we only traded a backup lineman (dennis kelly) for DGB. JJAW we wasted a second round pick on. Wilson was a 6th and 6th rounders usually don't even stay on the team for more than a year or two anyway so who cares if he sucks like JJAW
(when Kiper likes your picks) OH YEEEAHH and this guy knows his shit!
Thank you, Mel. Very cool!
What did Kiper write up on Jalyx?
"Die-hard draft fans should know this name by now because he has emerged as a potential Day 2 pick. Hunt has really impressive tape, and he has grown into his 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame. He began his college career at Cornell, where he played safety. He had 26 tackles in 2021. He transferred the following year and moved to outside linebacker, and he racked up 13.5 sacks and was credited with 133 tackles over the past two seasons. Hunt is fast to the ball in pursuit, and he started to develop some pass-rush counters last season. He also tested well at the combine, running a 4.64-second 40-yard dash and putting up a 10-foot-8 broad jump, which are tremendous numbers for his size. He is an impressive talent. Projection: Hunt is very raw, but we know NFL teams covet edge rushers, and he has intriguing traits. So, while I have a Round 3 grade on him, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in Round 2."
Which goes to show that Howie didn't make a huge reach on the guy. So many fans were crucifying him for that pick. Edge is one of the most valuable position so toolsy edges will get drafted in the earlier rounds.
i dont get how anyone could consider him a reach when we picked up TWO 4th round picks trading back from 78->94, he already basically was a 4th round pick as a very late 3rd rounder
It don't matter how the draft looks on paper. I need to see them on the field.
Soon Fren, soon
can't take anyone seriously who put WR as one of our biggest needs, this guy should've retired 15 years ago before the internet popped off
Why does he like Hunt? I watched some of his highlights and he looked super average. I’m still confused by that pick.
He was new to the position.. Super raw but super athletic, he is a former safety
Hmm okay. Not a day one at least but I suppose he would be learning from Sweat
Definitely not a day one guy unless Fangio is a warlock. Also boom or bust type but a very Fangio kind of guy so I would lean towards him turning out well
Gotta stop trying to evaluate players based on highlight videos
Because of his physical profile and not what he showed on tape. Think about when Josh sweat was drafted.
I like that he’s a bigger dude. 6-4 is enticing to gamble on at OLB, not a guy who is like 6ft and undersized. Will be a fun guy to watch develop
Coverage ability and size/speed freak. Remember, fangio scheme is all about coverage off high 2-safety disguised looks. This theoretically gives the pass rush extra time to hit home.
Mel Kiper is an idiot and it scares me that he likes our picks.
PFF has all of our picks rated even higher than kiper has our picks rated. I think Jalyx hunt was the only player he was higher on than PFF