With the 37th overall pick, the Eagles have selected Landon Dickerson out of Alabama. The interior offensive lineman is now the second Alabama player that the Eagles have drafted in this year’s draft, following in the footsteps of DeVonta Smith. Dickerson does have an injury history that could scare some fans but if he can stay healthy then this could be a home run pick for the franchise.
With the sudden inconsistent health of the offensive line, Howie Roseman went for the safe pick even though there were defensive players available at positions of need. The good thing about this pick is that Dickerson can play either guard or center for the team. He may have a year where he just learns from of the greatest centers to ever play in Jason Kelce.
In the Doug Pederson era, this pick would’ve meant cross-training for the IOL. It’s important to remember that OL coach Jeff Stoutland was one of only two coaches retained this season. His prowess developing talent cannot be overstated and giving him more meat to chew on is by no means a bad thing.
On top of that, we all know how light the Eagles are on OL depth. When Brandon Brooks went down last year, Jamon Brown and a carousel of casualties struggled to hold the fort. Jalen Hurts will not be exposed to such fretful conditions for a second year in a row, with the best center in the draft being taken.
We have to assume the obvious in this case and that’s the fact that Dickerson could be replacing Brooks or Kelce in the near future.
In 2019, Dickerson started all 13 games with four of them being at right guard and nine being at the center position. If his knee can stay healthy, then Jalen Hurts may have found a future stud to protect him at the line of scrimmage.
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