Reagor, Dillard, Fireman Danny; How Howie Roseman learned from draft disasters

Overall, Howie Roseman has built a strong draft track record, but he also has had some misses.

By Reuben Frank • Published April 15, 2026

They’re names that will give any Eagles fan nightmares.

Jalen Reagor. Marcus Smith. Fireman Danny. Andre Dillard. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Jaiquawn Jarrett. Sidney Jones. 

The Howie Roseman misses.

Overall, Roseman has a stellar draft record, especially since he was reinstated from exile after the 2015 season.

Of his 27 picks in the first three rounds since 2016, 22 have become productive starters – all but 1^st-round pick Andre Dillard in 2019, 2^nd-round picks Sidney Jones in 2017 and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2019 and 3^rd-round picks Davion Taylor in 2020 and Sydney Brown in 2023.

Pretty good track record.

But his first stint, from 2010 through 2014, yielded only eight long-term starters out of 16 picks in the first three rounds, although he also drafted Brandon Graham in 2010, Fletcher Cox in 2012 and Zach Ertz and Lane Johnson in 2013. And of course Jason Kelce in the sixth round in 2011.

But Roseman conceded Tuesday he’s still haunted by the misses. All these years later.

How often does he think about guys like Watkins, Smith, Reagor and Dillard?

"Yeah, a lot,” he said. "You know, I think about the first-round picks that I've missed on, I don't know, every day, really, if I'm being honest with myself.”

Roseman hasn’t whiffed on a 1^st-round pick since Reagor in 2020. When you think about it, four of his first nine 1^st-round picks – Watkins in 2011, Smith in 2014, Dillard in 2019 and Reagor in 2020 – were busts. But his last six are DeVonta Smith, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell and Jihaad Campbell. 

We still don’t know exactly what Smith will be, but he’s done enough already – mainly in the 2024 postseason – that it was at worst a good pick. And it’s too early to draw any conclusions about Campbell, but the Eagles remain very high on him.

Really, the only guy Roseman has drafted in the first three rounds since 2021 who didn’t become a consistent starter is Brown, a 3^rd-round pick in 2023. 

That’s one out of 15 guys drafted in the first three rounds of the last five drafts.

Sure gives you confidence in what Roseman will be able to do next week in the draft. And makes you believe the days of Day 1 or Day 2 disasters are far in Howie’s rearview mirror.

"I think that sometimes when I think about those picks and think about the reasons that I miss on those picks, sometimes I even overcompensate, you know,” he said. "So if you're bringing me somebody that may look like one of those guys, I'm going to be asking a lot of questions and I'm going to be skeptical and I'm going to be skeptical of my own report on those guys.”

So if there’s a 25-year-old guard who wants to be a fireman more than he wants to play football, Howie is staying away.

If there’s a tweener linebacker-edge who doesn’t really have the traits to excel at either spot, Howie is staying away.

If there’s a wide receiver who isn’t fast enough to separate and isn’t big enough to go up and get the ball, Howie is staying away.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know Howie obsesses over everything draft-related. That includes misses like with Fireman Danny, Marcus Smith and Jalen Reagor.

Dillard, Watkins, Smith and Reagor started a combined 64 games in an Eagles uniform. All four were out of the NFL soon after the Eagles released them.

Roseman said he’s learned from all his misses, and that helps explain the success he’s had in the second half of his GM career.

Which has led directly to the 2^nd-best record in the NFL since 2021, five straight trips to the playoffs and two Super Bowl appearances. 

If Roseman keeps drafting like this, this team won’t stop winning.

Roseman was open about how the draft misses have made him a better general manager.

"I feel like they've helped me really get better at my job and I think if it wasn't for those mistakes, I think a lot of successful picks may not have happened,” he said. 

"So, you know, I can't go back and change the past. I'm very comfortable kind of understanding that as much as I'm trying, I'm not going to be perfect, but I'm going to try my hardest to be as perfect as I can be.”

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/howie-roseman-jalen-reagor-marcus-smith-sidney-jones/726822/

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