The NFL draft is just a few days away and the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in the calm before the storm. This will be one of the biggest drafts in recent memory for Howie Roseman and he has to make sure he puts his best foot forward to support a newly assembled coaching staff. But what’s the worst-case scenario for the Eagles in the first round?
Surtain II and Horn land elsewhere in the NFC East
The NFC East is already loaded with wide receiving talent that will plague the Eagles for years to come. The last thing Philadelphia needs is that same fear but on the other side of the ball. With New York and Dallas both picking before the Eagles and also sharing a need for cornerback help, there is a strong chance that both Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II land with Philly’s biggest rivals, therefore leaving the team without their desired CB2 and also hampering Jalen Hurts and the offense for years to come knowing that two shutdown corners will look to thwart him twice a year.
The Eagles draft a lineman
It doesn’t matter which side of the ball you look at, the Eagles do need help in the trenches...but not starting help. The team are in a ‘re-tooling’ phase and although there are question marks over depth options all across both the OL and DL, they’re simply that for the time being and can be filled using the arsenal of mid-round picks accumulated by Howie Roseman.
Some needs are more prominent than others in the long-term and you can make the case that finding a suitable EDGE candidate due to Derek Barnett’s uncertainty and Brandon Graham’s age is crucial, but again, there is time to develop a slightly rawer prospect. The Eagles need instant impact and a player they can hang their hat on and ultimately, that correlates perfectly with their most pressing needs.
The Eagles draft a quarterback…
Drafting a quarterback is a likely reality but it should not be one that materializes in the first round. Even today there are still rumors swirling that the Eagles are toying with the idea of a first-round QB. If they’re truly not sold on Jalen Hurts then there is a logical argument to be made…but considering how their last QB-related draft decision panned out, it would be the most ignorant and backwards decision possible given the extreme measures the front office had to undertake just to erase the chain-reaction that such a shocking decision caused.
The Eagles need to surround Jalen Hurts with talent and give Sirianni the weapons he needs to get his offense rolling early. Drafting a QB would be unjust…but it would hardly be unsurprising.
An unnecessary risk
The Eagles are no strangers to players with injury concerns and various red flags. This is not the time to shoot for high-risk, high-reward talent. Howie Roseman has botched nearly every high draft pick dating back to 2016 and with his job security now on the line, he cannot afford to extend that streak. There’s no need to reach for talent, nor is there a need to pass on it and trade back, assuming that they’ll be able to hit on a player that may end up being poached before they have a shot to draft them. This has to be Roseman’s most clinical draft yet.
Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire
