The Eagles’ biggest winners and losers from NFL Draft

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Losers

Wendell Smallwood

Two words, one player: Miles Sanders.

Sanders takes the ‘jack of all trades’ style that Smallwood brings to the table and injects some adrenalin. Sanders is a more elusive, burstful running back and although his lapses in pass protection may give Smallwood leverage to carve out a niche role, things certainly don’t look great for the former Eagles draftee who has been unable to stay on the field, or set the turf on fire when he does get the opportunity.

Bruce Hector

The Eagles didn’t draft a defensive tackle, but they did trade for Hassan Ridgeway in the seventh round and just hours before the Draft got underway, it was announced that they’d penned Timmy Jernigan to a one-year deal. The Eagles desperately needed depth and they now have starting quality littered throughout. Treyvon Hester has some big plays under his belt as well and this only darkens the sky for Hector, who has a tall Mountain to climb.

Chris Long

Long told the Eagles to ‘plan as if I won’t be there’, so they did just that. The team drafted Shareef Miller in the fourth round and although you can make the case Long’s role would be more prominent, he wants to start. Adding another Chef to quite a packed Kitchen isn’t going to do that wish any favors whatsoever and could have a massive impact on his decision.

Mack Hollins

The Eagles drafted J.J Arcega-Whiteside which while a huge move for the Birds, is a devastating one for the UNC product who spent last year on IR with a mysterious injury. Hollins flashed home-run potential in his rookie year, but that was in 2017. Times move fast and now DeSean Jackson is in the mix too, the only real spot I could imagine Hollins being a force to be reckoned with, is in the slot. This could be seen as a win and a loss I suppose, but it adds another body ahead of him on the depth chart, at least to begin with and will only heighten the challenge he has to really lock down his place on the roster.

Alshon Jeffery

This is a controversial one, but the Eagles drafted a receiver who many are already nicknaming ‘Baby Alshon’. Jeffery has three years left on his deal with the Eagles, all of them costing the team over $11M.

While nothing has come out officially, there have been several reports of Eagles players becoming frustrated with a lack of balls thrown their way and it would be perfectly understandable for the 29-year old to feel a little annoyed.

Adding a receiver who brings a near-identical skillset to the table is absolutely fantastic for the offense, but this can’t help any lingering concerns of not seeing enough targets, especially with a new running back and DeSean Jackson in the mix.

This is speculative of course, but the Eagles may be preparing for life after Jeffery’s contract, which expires in three season’s time.

Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports