Roster And Draft Class Breakdown: Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Next up is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles made a big splash in the draft with the AJ Brown trade on night one. Brown becomes the top receiver on a team that desperately needed depth at the position. He also gets a new contract locking him up for the next four years. What else did the Eagles do? Let's break it all down. 

Offense

Jalen Hurts is going to have some fun this season. Now throwing to AJ Brown along with Devonta Smith, it's an SEC reunion in Philly. Quez Watkins burst onto the seen last year and showed he has some upside as a third receiver. He'll have better opportunities and more favorable matchups with Brown, Smith, and Dallas Godert will attract a lot of attention. It goes without saying, but with Brown the Eagles should have better than a 21st ranked passing attack. 

Godert has some help now in the form of sixth round pick Grant Calcaterra. Calcaterra started his career at Oklahoma before retiring due to concussion concerns. He came back and committed to Auburn before officially going to SMU. He easily becomes the second best tight end on the team and is coming off a 38 catch campaign with 465 yards and four touchdowns. Not bad for your last pick. If Calcaterra can get back to his Oklahoma production level, watch out if the Eagles go two tight ends.

The run game needs improvement from a year ago. A backup center probably can't help with that right now. But, he's certainly an athletic backup center. Cameron Jurgens was taken in the second round from Nebraska. He played running back and linebacker in the past and will sit behind Jason Kelce. Myles Sanders still looks like the lead back with Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell in that change of pace role. The offensive line is retooled a bit with the retirement of guard Brandon Brooks. Philly ranked 14th in rushing offense and averaged 4.9 yards per carry, and that needs to improve. Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, and Lane Johnson will be at the forefront of that since no other linemen were drafted.

Defense 

Jordan Davis is an absolute freak of nature. The first round pick from Georgia got the night started for the Eagles. His 4.78-40-yard dash was the fastest 40-time by a player 325 pounds or heavier at the NFL combine since at least 2006 - it was even faster than his quarterback Jalen Hurts. He joins Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Derek Barnett in the base 4-3 alignment. Graham and Cox may be getting older, but they can still produce.The steal of the draft came in the third round. Nakobe Dean from Georgia slipped due to medical concerns. Dean had 72 tackles (10.5 for loss), six sacks and two interceptions in 2021. The Eagles get the best linebacker in the draft on day two. T.J Edwards is listed as the MLB right now (that will change) with Kyzir White on the weak side and Hassan Riddick on the strong side. Riddick has really turned on these last few seasons and got a nice contract as a reward. Sixth round pick Kyron Johnson from Kansas played both linebacker and defensive end which should offer some subpackage flexibility. 

The secondary was considered a need but it wasn't addressed in the draft. Darius Slay and Avontae Maddox remain the starting corners with Anthony Harris and Marcus Epps as the safeties. There is a decent amount of depth on the roster at DB. Watch out for Josh Jobe. Jobe played corner at Alabama and at one point was considered a first round pick. He was brought in as a undrafted free agent. Epps, the strong safety, was drafted in 2019 and still doesn’t have a sack to his name. That is very “unconventional” to say the least. Harris is 30 years old and it looks like there no succession plan or any real injury contingency.  

Draft Misses

It doesn't make sense that Philly didn't feel the need to draft a DB. They could've easily traded into rounds four, five, or seven and selected a corner and/or a safety. Smoke Monday from Auburn was left on the board and signed with the Saints, and they could've just drafted Jobe too. Drafting Jaquan Brisker would have made more sense than drafting a backup center. Riding a 30 year old safety could lead to problems.

Myles Sanders is the only downhill runner on the team and he tends to get banged up. Oklahoma's Kennedy Brooks was brought in as a UFA and he brings a similar style. Scott and Gainwell aren't built to be bell cow backs. Again, it is a little confusing that they didn’t draft Brooks if they really wanted him or another back in general.

Projection As Of Right Now

The Eagles made it the playoffs last year but had inconsistent stretches. The NFC East hasn't gotten that much better. With the improvements, the Eagles should be able to win the division without much of a fight and win at least one playoff game.

Down the stretch:

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Stay tuned!