NFL insider shoots down a big Eagles draft question mark

 

The Eagles' front office has tried at every turn to throw its support behind Jalen Hurts heading into 2022.

Yet Howie Roseman's reputation for surprise moves and part of the fanbase's distrust in Hurts' ceiling has kept "will the Eagles draft a QB?" questions churning in the months since the Eagles' playoff exit.

And with the Combine behind us and some impressive Pro Days lodged in our recent memory, the question remains: could Roseman really target a QB with one of the Eagles' three first-round picks?

Eh... maybe not.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter joined 97.5 The Fanatic for his weekly segment Wednesday morning and didn't really parse his words when asked about a possible QB selection:

"KINCADE: Am I reading too much into it, that the [Eagles] might be kicking the tires more than we think they are [on rookie QBs]?

"SCHEFTER: I have not heard that, I do not know that, and we'll see how it plays out - you can never dismiss anything in this league, right? - but I don't view the Eagles as being a big player in the quarterback market in this draft. I don't, today. Now I could be wrong, but that's not how I view it.

"[...]

"My sense is they're not shopping [for rookie QBs]. My sense is they think they have a pretty good team, that they can win now, that they think this is a good draft, that they think they can help themselves with other players - and that this is probably not the best quarterback draft."

Got it. Schefter left the "I could be wrong" door open in case things do a complete 180, but for right now it seems pretty clear the Eagles aren't trying to go crazy next month and use one of those picks on a QB.

The top options, if QB was in play, would include guys like Pitt's Kenny Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis.

The Eagles have been tangentially linked to Pickett: they reportedly bought him dinner the night before his strong Pro Day and Roseman traveled to Pittsburgh during the NFL season to watch Pickett play in person. But I don't think they view Pickett as a guy they need to spend a first-round pick on.

And Willis is probably the prospect with the highest ceiling in this class, an athletic wunderkind who also has a cannon arm. Willis wowed at his Pro Day this week, including this victory cigar throw:  CLICK ON LINK TO ARTICLE BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO

I like Willis' potential a lot, but there's been no indication the Eagles have their eyes on the Liberty gunslinger.

Overall this isn't terribly surprising news. The Eagles will probably focus on the positions they usually value - defensive end, wide receiver, maybe cornerback - and keep an eye on possible quarterbacks in later rounds. 

But with Roseman, where you simply never know until the picks are officially in, it's good to keep updated on the latest thinking around the Eagles' front office as we approach April 28.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/2022-nfl-draft-eagles-wont-be-big-players-qbs-adam-schefter-says

11 hours ago, time2rock said:

My sense is they're not shopping [for rookie QBs]. My sense is they think they have a pretty good team, that they can win now, that they think this is a good draft, that they think they can help themselves with other players - and that this is probably not the best quarterback draft.

Howie doing what Howie does best... Convincing himself of something that is nowhere near the truth. And happy with a roster that at best is just above average.