Howie Roseman shocked the world not once, but twice last night. Before the A.J. Brown fireworks, the esteemed Eagles GM jumped ahead of the Baltimore Ravens to draft Jordan Davis. This pick was met with a mixed reaction, but now the dust has settled, we need to explore why he was a dream selection.
The bigger picture
Forget how talented and athletic Davis is for a second. Fletcher Cox is near the end of his Eagles tenure and Javon Hargrave’s deal is up at the end of next season. That leaves Milton Williams as the lone cog in the wheel. The Eagles needed to find some long-term stability at the position and will now have at least three years of a Williams & Davis tandem, two of which should see them entrenched as starters. The Eagles will have a dominant defensive tackle duo on rookie contracts. It’s this kind of forward-thinking that allows Roseman to make those aggressive plays for guys like A.J. Brown in the first place.
The player
He fits the new Eagles mold of being an athletic freak, which is exactly the mold of player we expected Roseman to prioritize. Having ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any player over 310 lbs since 2003, and a phenomenal 1.68 10-yard split, Davis jumped off the boards when it came to his agility drills, but even more so on tape. He’s a ridiculously powerful tackle who can swallow blocks, push the pile, and clog rushing lanes with ease.
Considering that the Eagles run defense allowed 123 yards per game over their final three last year, and the caliber of running backs they have on deck in 2022 (Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, Antonio Gibson, Saquan Barkley, Jonathan Taylor etc), ensure this pick makes a ton of sense.
He’s also another player with direct links to the Eagles, following another trend that is carrying over from last year’s class:
D-Line coach Tracy Rocker, he recruited me at Georgia when he was there and gave me an offer. I talked to him and stayed in communication with him. To be able to work with him and just get to work. You can obviously see the type of work that he does, and he can put in the work. I’m really excited.
Davis is also the perfect complement to Williams. He’s not only big enough to swallow double teams, but athletic enough to somehow beat them and penetrate into the backfield. He would’ve been the perfect fit in Baltimore as well, which is why Roseman bit the bullet. His presence is going to open things up for a weaker EDGE group, and more importantly, for Milton Williams, who has all the speed and agility in the world but may struggle for power. Davis joining the DL all but ensures that won’t be a concern moving forward.
Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire
