Just as you thought the Philadelphia Eagles have stopped winning. The NFL Draft is well underway and after a smart move trading back from 32 yesterday, the Birds moved back up the board ever so slightly on the second day of the event held in Texas. There was so much to love about this move, so here is everything you need to know:
The trade itself:
It didn’t take much for the Eagles to move up, not much at all. The Eagles swapped picks with the Indianapolis Colts and then handed them pick #169, their fifth round selection. A nice, straight-forward trade that would precede one of the greatest moments in NFL Draft history.
David Akers:
The name Drew Pearson will forever haunt fans of the Eagles. The Cowboys legend stepped into the draft held in the City of Brotherly Love and riled up the crowd in a way only a true personality could. Well, today, NFL legend, David Akers, decided to return the favor. The iconic Eagles kicker had some choice words for the City of Dallas and well, this will be on repeat for a long, long time.
The Eagles trade ahead of the Cowboys to draft a tight end on the DAY that Jason Witten closes the curtains….
AND THEN DAVID AKERS DOES THIS?!
BEST. DRAFT. EVER pic.twitter.com/E7IQgngM2H
— Philly Sports Network (@PhiladelphiaSN) April 28, 2018
Your turn, Dallas.
To make things even spicier…
So, you may or may not know but a certain Dallas Cowboy decided to close the curtains on an illustrious NFL career and pursue broadcasting. That man is Jason Witten. This left the Cowboys with quite the tight end sized hole and one they were bound to fill at some stage…but it wasn’t going to be in round 2. The Eagles pipped them to the post with an incredible trade, snatching Goedert from their grasp. Does anyone fancy sipping some tea?
The player himself:
How can you not love a small-school sleeper who has emerged as this year’s leading tight end prospect? Not only did this 6’5 tight end post back-to-back 1,000 yard season’s, but he also tallied a total of 13 100-yard receiving games during that span. The man is a complete monster and if the Eagles are looking for a tight end to hang their hat on alongside Zach Ertz, they needn’t look any further.
Goedert’s route-running is simply exceptional and he launches off the line with tremendous burst. Soft hands and an impressive pro-day round out a skillset that is only lacking blocking fundamentals. In fact, if Goedert was a capable blocker at the next level too, he’d be a bonafide top-10 pick.
What the Eagles are losing in Trey Burton, they’d be getting back in a slightly bigger prospect who can move just as fluently through the route tree and is arguably even more athletic.
Tight end picture:
What was once a major need for the Eagles has now become a solid foundation once again. Zach Ertz is now the veteran in the room, while Richard Rodgers will fill most of the blocking holes left by Brent Celek, allowing Goedert to really express himself as the lethal athlete he is, echoing and expanding on Trey Burton’s role while Billy Brown continues to develop.
The Eagles are next on the clock at the end of round 4, so there is a long breath before the storm resumes…but I’m sure we can all savor this moment until then. We will have a film-room piece and more analysis on Goedert’s fit with the Eagles over the next few days!
Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports
