We are barely three years removed from the Philadelphia Eagles being crowned the best football team in the world. Now their Super Bowl-winning head coach is gone, their Super Bowl-winning quarterback is gone, their franchise quarterback is gone, and they’re a lot closer to the worst team in the league than the best.
How did we get here?
If winning in football were just about what happened on the football field, the Eagles might be in a different spot today. But, as we so clearly know, especially in the social media age, there is a lot more that goes into it. Balancing egos and struggles for power on the field, in the locker room, in the front office, and at the very top of the food chain play big roles in victories and losses. That’s the best way I can describe the extremely dysfunctional Eagles franchise and how they had such a steep fall from grace. If you look at some of their recent draft hauls, you can see that internal struggle on paper.
Here’s a recap of the Eagles’ drafts from 2018-2020—it paints quite the picture.
2020 Draft Class
Round 1: Jalen Reagor, WR
Round 2: Jalen Hurts, QB
Round 3: Davion Taylor, LB
Round 4: K’Von Wallace, DB
Round 4: Jack Driscoll, OL
Round 5: John Hightower, WR
Round 6: Shaun Bradley, LB
Round 6: Quez Watkins, WR
Round 6: Prince Tega Wanogho, OL
Round 7: Casey Toohill, EDGE
Oh boy…
This was meant to be a class that saved the Eagles, and as of right now, it sure looks like it’s the one that pushed their collapse over the edge. Their swing-and-miss on Reagor (at least as we see it now) looks even worse than normal given how well the rest of the wide receiver class has done around him, namely Justin Jefferson, who was picked after Reagor. The Hurts pick was lighter fluid in the fire that ended the tenures of both Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz. As for the rest of the group, Wallace has been alright, and that’s truly about the best you can say.
Hurts is now the starting quarterback, and if he plays well it will forgive a lot of regrets from this class, but as of right now it looks bad.
Draft Grade: D
2019 Draft Class
Round 1: Andre Dillard, OT
Round 2: Miles Sanders, RB
Round 3: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, WR
Round 4: Shareef Miller, DE
Round 5: Clayton Thorson, QB
If you thought the 2020 class was bad, don’t look to the 2019 class as relief.
The Dillard pick is looking worse and worse as time goes on. Sanders has been good for the Eagles, but the Arcega-Whiteside pick has been abysmal. Miller and Thorson aren’t even on the team anymore.
Sanders has been the lone saving grace, but that’s nowhere near good enough for a passing grade on this draft class.
Draft Grade: D
2018 Draft Class
Round 1: Dallas Goedert, TE
Round 4: Avonte Maddox, CB
Round 4: Josh Sweat, DE
Round 6: Matt Pryor, OT
Round 7: Jordan Mailata, OT
When the Eagles drafted Goedert, it was on the heels of tight end Zach Ertz’s first Pro Bowl season. Their idea was to pair the two to be an unstoppable 12-personnel machine. Ertz had the best season of his career the following year and Goedert has come along nicely—and will now be the team’s TE1.
Maddox has been a starter for the Eagles for the last three seasons, but there’s certainly a question as to whether that should have been the case. He was dead last in cornerback grades for all corners in the league by Pro Football Focus. Sweat played well in 2020, and Mailata honestly might have been the best pick from this group for the value. He could find himself in a starting role this upcoming season.
This class, while not a franchise changer, certainly looks to be the best of the three, especially with no day-two selections.
Draft Grade: C+
Overall… well, it’s bad. There’s a reason the Eagles finished dead last in the worst division in football, and in doing so earned a top 10 draft selection. They have a new head coach and new starting quarterback so things will certainly be a learning experience for them in 2021. But you have to hope the worst is behind them, especially with draft direction. If they have another class like the ones from 2018-2020, it could be time to totally clean house.
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