The NFL Draft is a rollercoaster at the best of times and the 84th edition was arguably the wildest yet. But in case you’ve been unable to keep up with everything swept up in the whirlwind, here’s everything you need to know about your 2019 Eagles Draft class.
Round 1, Pick 22: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
The first ten picks of the NFL Draft were a total rollercoaster. Nobody…and I mean nobody, could’ve predicted Clelin Ferrell going 4th overall, Daniel Jones going 6th and Dwayne Haskins falling to the Redskins much later. But all this did was push some of the Eagles’ top-rated prospects deep into their laps.
The Eagles traded with the Baltimore Ravens, giving up a fourth-round selection, and a sixth-round selection, in order to jump up to the 22nd overall spot to poach Andre Dillard out of Washington State. One pick later, the Texans would take Alabama State’s Tytus Howard. Howie Roseman’s ability to read between the tea leaves is exceptional.
Some were pining for a defensive tackle, others for a safety…but the safest pick of all was sticking to the plan: building from the ball out.
The method behind the madness is simple. Jason Peters won’t be around forever. Whether it’s one year, two years, or somehow even more, the Eagles will need to find an heir to the Throne. Even if the Eagles opted to move Vaitai up to a starting role, there’s a glaring lack of depth behind Big V and a franchise right tackle in Lane Johnson who battled injury last year. It’s not a sexy pick, but the Eagles built this team through the trenches and they will sustain success the same way.
Dillard comes in at 6’5, 306 lbs, but lacks the desired length in his frame. Although there are some clear fundamental setbacks in terms of his hand placement etc as of right now, he plays hard and is extremely athletic for his size and weight which is something Stoutland would covet.
With that said, his ‘sacks allowed’ per year have decreased from 7, to 2, to 1, in his last three seasons. And that one season where he allowed a single sack, he played in more pass blocking sacks than ANY other tackle at the college or NFL level.
He’s a very raw prospect who gets bullied by bull-rushes and doesn’t have much to counter sheer power, but his athleticism could be invaluable. He wouldn’t be expected to start straight away and I think this could be a real blessing for an Eagles team who are looking to nurture their left tackle of the future, giving Stoutland time to groom this talented lineman.
Find out about the four other draft selections on the pages below:
