Eagles GM Howie Roseman entered the 2020 NFL Draft with one priority in mind and that was getting the Birds younger and more athletic.
The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles ranked 22nd in team speed by Next Gen Stats in 2019, while the two fastest teams in the NFL last season, the 49ers and the Chiefs, faced each other in the Super Bowl.
From the athletic standpoint, Roseman aced the draft, securing one of the most athletic and physically gifted classes in years. According to Next Gen Stats, each of their first four picks scored 80-plus on their athleticism score.
The #Eagles prioritized athleticism throughout the #NFLDraft, with each of their first four picks scoring 80-plus by our NGS athleticism score.
The entire Eagles draft class averaged an NFL-best 85 athleticism score (excluding OL). pic.twitter.com/ZtRx7Kt3vJ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 27, 2020
As a whole, the Eagles 2020 draft class had an NFL-best average of 85 on the athleticism score.
The grading excluded offensive linemen.
How that athletic prowess translates on NFL Sundays will truly be the key to how successful the Eagles and Howie Roseman will be moving forward.
Second-round pick Jalen Hurts is an athletic marvel and with Howie Roseman focusing on the analytical emphasis, the Eagles GM swooped in and swiped the guy that could eventually become the steal of the draft from a future compensation standpoint.
K’Von Wallace was snagged in the fourth-round and it’s expected that Jim Schwartz will get great pleasure out unleashing his swiss-army knife on the entire NFC.
Wallace got a 96 athleticism score, one of the best in the entire NFL draft and tops at his position.
Jalen Reagor is a known commodity at wide receiver while the wild-card of the entire process could end up being linebacker Davion Taylor.
The player with the least game experience, Taylor could end up as the best of the bunch because of his supreme athletic ability.
Taylor was clocked at a 4.49 40-yard dash, third-fastest among linebackers behind just Isaiah Simmons and Willie Gay Jr. Taylor was the fastest linebacker at the Senior Bowl and the 12th fastest player overall.
If Schwartz and the Eagles staff can transition that rare blend of athleticism into actual efficient football prowess at the linebacker position, Taylor, Shaun Bradley, Nate Gerry and T.J. Edwards could give teams fits for years to come.
All the speed, athleticism, and analytics must blend together, but if Roseman’s guys can actually run and play, this Eagles team could regain that swagger from the mid to late 2000s.