Philadelphia Eagles loaded with speed, versatility and hope after NFL Draft

[Procus]

I miss busting this guy's balls on Twitter.  He was a good sport about it until he finally blocked me. 😁

https://www.mcall.com/sports/eagles/mc-spt-philadelphia-eagles-nfl-draft-analysis-20200426-2eokl5hbhbgxndhytu5aqw3yp4-story.html

Quote

Philadelphia Eagles loaded with speed, versatility and hope after NFL Draft

By Nick Fierro

The Morning Call |

Apr 26, 2020 | 4:20 PM

 

The Eagles caught almost everyone by surprise when they took Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the NFL Draft.(Brett Deering/Getty Images)

Considering what they did in Rounds 3-7 of the NFL Draft, the Eagles might have been better served giving up their second-round pick to move up in the first round and select CeeDee Lamb, if only so the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t get him.

Instead, they stayed put, gambled on less of a sure thing by taking TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor at No. 21 overall and then angered a good portion of their fan base by pulling the trigger on Lamb’s Oklahoma teammate, quarterback Jalen Hurts.

But this is where the second-guessing stops.

The Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman did quite well for themselves this year.

From the second injured 40-year-old backup quarterback Josh McCown hit the ground on a fourth-down sack in a one-score playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks in January, the Eagles knew they needed to change the makeup of this team — quarterbacks included.

So no complaints here.

They wanted to get younger and faster. Check.

They wanted to upgrade the insurance policy on their $100 million investment, quarterback Carson Wentz. Check.

They wanted more versatile players. "Position-less” players, as Roseman calls them. Check.

[More Sports] Eagles add K’Von Wallace, Jack Driscoll to highlight final day of productive NFL Draft »

They wanted better linebacker options. Check.

The wanted to replenish the depth on their offensive line. Check.

They wanted upgrades at wide receiver and in the secondary. Check and check.

From the beginning of the draft to the end, including a flurry of trades on the third day to add two picks this year and one next year , all they did was get younger and faster and more exciting.

[More Sports] Jalen Hurts pick shows Eagles not all in on Carson Wentz »

And with the addition of Hurts, more controversial.

But as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Especially when it comes to the quarterback position, which had to be addressed anyway.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (bottom) suffered a concussion on this play in the first quarter of January's playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. He has been limited to just nine postseason snaps in his career.(Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

Roseman on Saturday night didn’t seem bothered by any negative reaction to this move. Nor should he be. He and the scouting staff, led by vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl, executed their plan about as well as could reasonably be expected.

[More Sports] Eagles pluck Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts in second-round NFL Draft surprise »

Roseman, acting on the requests of coach Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, wanted more speed and versatility at linebacker and defensive back.

On Friday, they drafted Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor, who also played safety and even cornerback when needed. They started the next day by adding Clemson safety K’Von Wallace, who confidently claimed he can play anywhere in the secondary and can move up into the box as a de facto linebacker, like the departed Malcolm Jenkins often did.

They continued pouring on the speed at wide receiver with the selections of Boise State’s John Hightower and Southern Mississippi’s Quez Watkins. They also drafted Temple linebacker Shaun Bradley, who runs as well as some receivers.

In cerebral and fast-moving Auburn offensive lineman Jack Driscoll, they may have found the man they can groom to replace Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce, a weary 32, when he decides to step out.

[More Sports] Jalen Reagor gives Eagles what they need most — a vertical threat »

They added one of the fastest players to ever compete in the NFL, veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, in a trade.

Before the draft, they used two of the 10 picks they had at the start of the new league year to acquire proven Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay. They also fortified their defensive line with free agent Javon Hargrave and added defensive backs Nickell Robey-Coleman and Will Parks and linebacker Jatavis Brown.

They even drafted position-less players on offense, when you think about how Reagor and Hurts can (and will) be used by Pederson, one of the most creative minds in the game.

"We look for guys that are incredible athletes, and there is no doubt about it — when we went back and looked at our team over the last year, we wanted to get more explosive, we wanted to get faster, and I told that to you guys after the season,” Roseman said. "It was important we stuck to that. I know a bunch of our scouts over the last couple days and certainly today when we talked about it, they kind of threw it back in our face.

[More Sports] Eagles take TCU WR Jalen Reagor in first round of draft »

"You know, they said, `Hey, if we are looking to get faster, this guy is still on the board.' We kind of went over the top to make sure we have explosive athletes for our quarterback, for our play-caller, and we’re really excited with what we did over the last couple days.”

Over the top in a good way.

In a copycat league, the Eagles are simply following the latest, most successful blueprint, which happens to be co-written by the winningest coach in their history: Kansas City’s Andy Reid.

The Chiefs late in 2018 parted ways with one of their most dynamic weapons in Kareem Hunt after a video was released showing him assaulting a woman. The next season the fastest team in the league actually improved, winning the Super Bowl.

[More Sports] For Eagles, NFL Draft batting average has to improve »

The Eagles early in 2019 lost their only deep receiving threat in DeSean Jackson to injury and could never recover from that blow. They did pull it together enough to make the playoffs but couldn’t advance after both of the quarterbacks they activated for the game were injured before it was over.

In Wentz’s case, it marked the third straight season in which his backup was running a playoff qualifier by the end.

Meanwhile, Roseman and everyone else at 1 NovaCare Way vowed they would never be in such poor position if they encounter these obstacles again.

Everything done since the 2019 season ended has ensured they won’t be.

[More Sports] Welcome to the first-ever cyber NFL Draft: A look at what the Eagles might do with the 21st pick »

None of what they did necessarily guarantees more wins. What they did do is guarantee fewer "can’t-win” situations.

Maybe none at all.

NOTES: The Eagles announced on Saturday night that they had reached agreements with 12 undrafted free agents. They are Central Florida running back Adrian Killins, Morgan State WR Manasseh Bailey, Louisiana CB Mike Jacquet III, Iowa State OL Julian Good-Jones, Western Michigan C Luke Juriga, Montana LB Dante Olson, Army DB Elijah Riley, New Hampshire DB Prince Smith, Oregon State TE Noah Togiai, Cincinnati RB Michael Warren II and Michigan State DL Raequan Williams.

Nick Fierro can be reached at 610-778-2243 or nfierro@mcall.com.

 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

This team certainly values versatility. Corners who can play Safety. Safeties who can play in the slot or at LB. Movement along the DL to kick people inside or outside. 

O Lineman who can move around a little. RBs who can line up in the slot or even stretch the field. 

And now a QB who they plan to use in varying ways.