Grade: A+
Eagles fans can once again rejoice as their General Manager, Howie Roseman, played chess while the rest of the league played checkers during this year's draft. In round 1 they exercised patience in letting the draft fall their way, which paid off dividends as the best corner in this year's class, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell, fell right in their lap at the 22nd overall pick. Corner was practically Philly's only position of "need" on an already loaded roster, and getting this year's best prospect at the position without having to trade up is downright criminal.
The steals didn't stop there. The end of day one and round one of the draft saw a bounty of stud players waiting to hear their name called going into day two, and Roseman had his eye on one in particular. After working the phones all day, they finally were able to find a trade partner (with their division rival Commanders, puzzlingly) to move up and select Cooper Dejean, defensive back extraordinaire out of the University of Iowa. The kind of value Dejean can provide for Philly's defense is ridiculous. He's a decent outside corner, but at Safety or slot corner he looks to become one of the biggest contributors in the NFL. Philly just needs to put him in space and allow him to be near the ball every play so his freak athleticism and ferocity can be on full display. Cooper was one of my favorite players to watch during this draft cycle, as his love for the game is evident with each snap.
It's extremely rare for a team to gain two top 20 players in a draft class without spending a single top 20 pick, and the Eagles did just that.
Their impressive haul wasn't just limited to those two picks, either. They also snagged Jeremiah Trotter Jr, LB from Clemson. I was a bit lower on Trotter than most, as he was propped up largely by being an NFL legacy with his father being a former player. That being said, he was a steal in the 5th round. At worst, his great athleticism for the position could provide great value on Special Teams, while the Eagles try to help him reach his upside.
Another great selection was Johnny Wilson, the freakish 6'8" wide receiver from Florida State. I think Wilson would have developed a lot more had FSU had better QB play, and he's an underrated route runner given his monstrous size for the position. Here's hoping Philly continues to develop him, as opposed to taking the easy route and converting him to TE.
All in all, a solid weekend's work is an understatement for Howie and crew. The gap between them and the rest of the NFC East widened even further as a result.