The 2023 NFL Draft is just weeks away and the Philadelphia Eagles are busy trying to find the next crop of talented young players to continue to enhance their title window.
For general manager Howie Roseman, the draft will be a key part in continuing to improve on a team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last year. And while recent top picks have certainly worked out, recent history hasn’t always been kind to the Eagles’ GM.
Today, we go over the picks Roseman has hit, missed, and secretly nailed throughout the second round.
Best Pick: Zach Ertz
A lot of people will want Jalen Hurts to be the “best pick” here, and while the Eagles clearly found their franchise quarterback, his impact has not yet matched what Zach Ertz did in Philly. A second-round pick out of Stanford, Ertz is in the top five in every receiving stat Philadelphia has. His game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl LII will stand the test of time. The fact the Eagles got back-to-back franchise stalwarts in the 2013 draft shows that year might have been Howie’s best overall draft record
Worst Pick: Sidney Jones
Sidney Jones’ career began and end during his pro day in Washington. Jones tore his Achilles during workouts and saw his draft stock move from the top 10 to the second round. He never fully got back to his dominant college ways and has struggled to see the field even after Philadelphia moved him. This pick will always be a “what could have been.”
Sleeper Pick: Landon Dickerson
Could Dallas Goedert be on here? Certainly. But Goedert’s impact has been well-known among NFL circles. The fact that Landon Dickerson has moved past his injury-plagued college years to become one of the most dominant left guards in football though is incredible. Once thought to be the replacement for Kelce when he retires, Dickerson has become an important foundational piece for the new Eagles regime. He was a great pick in another great draft for Roseman.
The Frustrating Number Picks: Miles Sanders, Jordan Matthews
For where they were selected, both Jordan Matthews and Miles Sanders did have good careers in Philadelphia. It’s just that the numbers don’t tell the whole story and they each could have been so much more.
Matthews was taken in 2014 to replace DeSean Jackson and racked up 3,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns. The issue was he never really did anything spectacular and once Chip Kelly was gone, he became very expendable.
Sanders on the other hand was a product of an atrocious RB group in 2018 and still put up over 3,708 yards rushing. But injuries, a lack of improvement in the passing game, and struggles down the stretch ultimately led to Philadelphia letting him leave for Carolina. Both picks are not bad for the production they put up…but they leave frustrating careers behind that could have been better.
Photo by Nicole Fridling/Icon Sportswire
