Philadelphia Eagles fans should temper their expectations for the Eagles’ 2020 NFL Draft. History has shown Day 3 picks are question marks.
The 2020 NFL Draft is officially over and the Philadelphia Eagles have drafted 10 new players. They also traded for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, so they added 11 new players over the 3-day event.
The Eagles selected former TCU wide receiver, Jalen Reagor, with the 21st overall pick. Reagor may never be a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he will certainly be a weapon for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see Reagor’s career progress and watch the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Justin Jefferson’s career progress as well.
Regardless, the addition of Reagor will help quarterback Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense. Reagor also is able to return punts and kicks as well, so he is versatility will pay off for the Eagles no matter what.
Day 1 of the draft may not have been a home run, but the Eagles did not strikeout.
Day 2? Well, the Eagles got hit by a pitch, if we keep the baseball talk going. They selected former Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick. Many people thought the Eagles could add another impact player with their second-round pick, but taking Hurts instead was a huge gamble. Hurts is a solid quarterback, but the pick has sparked up controversy regarding Wentz and his backup.
The Eagles then drafted former Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor in the 3rd round. Taylor is a freak athlete. He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he is extremely raw and more of a project than a starter at this moment.
After what could be deemed a disappointing Day 2, the Eagles and their General Manager Howie Roseman went to work on Day 3. They added 7 players total throughout the final three rounds, and here they are:
| Round 4, Pick 127: |
K’Von Wallace, Safety, Clemson |
| Round 4, Pick 145: |
Jack Driscoll, OL, Auburn |
| Round 5, Pick 168: |
John Hightower, WR, Boise State |
| Round 6, Pick 196: |
Shaun Bradley, LB, Temple |
| Round 6, Pick 200: |
Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss |
| Round 6, Pick 210: |
Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn |
| Round 7, Pick 233: |
Casey Toohill, EDGE, Stanford |
A couple quick notes from this list:
–K’Von Wallace was a pick universally loved. He was a team captain at Clemson and can play multiple positions. We had him mocked to the Eagles a couple of times this offseason and he should hopefully be a perfect fit for the Eagles secondary.
-Adding depth to the offensive line is always good and hopefully one of the players can emerge with the potential to start if needed.
-Speed! It was clear the Eagles needed speed this offseason and Roseman delivered that. John Hightower and Quez Watkins are burners for sure, so they will give the Eagles receiver group a bump in that category.
Day 3 was a much better day than Day 2, but the only problem with that is these Day 3 picks may excite fans, but they are far from a sure thing for the Eagles. Since Roseman took over again for the 2016 NFL Draft, here is a list of his Day 3 picks and their impact on the Eagles throughout their careers:
The chart is color-coded, with green being good and red obviously being bad. As you can see, there is a lot more red than green. 2016 was probably the best year for the Eagles’ Day 3 picks, as Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jalen Mills played significant roles in their Super Bowl victory. Wendell Smallwood deserves some love too, as he put up solid numbers as an Eagle.
2017 featured Nathan Gerry, who isn’t great, but he has had good value for a 5th round pick. 2018 was the second-best year since Roseman took back over. Avonte Maddox is a solid piece on defense, but he needs to stay healthy. Josh Sweat isn’t an elite pass rusher, but he has made plays when called upon.
2019 was a complete flop. Yes, we do not know if Shareef Miller will help or not, but they traded for Genard Avery last year, so that doesn’t bode well for Miller. And I think we can all agree that Clayton Thorson was a horrendous pick.
Out of these 17 Day 3 picks since 2016, six of them could be chalked up as solid Day 3 picks. However, only 4 of them made any sort of real impact in their rookie season. Smallwood started 3 games and had 367 total yards and a score in 2016. Big V started 6 games in 2016. Mills played in all 16 games and had 62 tackles in 2016. Maddox started 9 games and had 35 tackles and 2 interceptions. None of these contributions is ‘needle-moving’ either in their rookie season, but they did play a part of the team in their rookie season.
It is also worth noting that every Day 3 receiver (Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson) the Eagles have drafted since 2016 has been horrible. Gibson has 3 career receptions and Hollins was cut this year after being one of the worst receivers in the NFL. Two receivers are a small sample size, but it should not be overlooked.
What does this all mean? Well, it means that as nice as it was that Roseman had a solid Day 3 on paper, you can’t put too much weight into thinking that Day 3 players will be able to contribute in their rookie season or become impact starters for the Eagles.
So, while many will say Roseman saved the draft by having a great Day 3 after a solid Day 1 and a terrible Day 2, the facts show you that you should temper your expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles 2020 NFL Draft class.
