The NFL Draft is a crap shoot. Free agency is a gamble. How many times have you heard that? The latter often includes overspending. Every offseason makes the head spin, and when you add Howie Roseman, the Philadelphia Eagles are fun to watch.
Since we walked into the new league year, we’ve seen Haason Reddick shipped off. Some are now saying that was a great idea. Bryce Huff was added to replace him.There were other moves, too many to discuss. Mekhi Becton comes to mind, but how about these five upgrades?
We’re probably spending too much time discussing Saquon Barkley’s injury history and less time than necessary mentioning how massive this acquisition might be. Christian McCaffrey’s addition to the 49ers roster helped San Francisco soar. Now, Philly may be flirting with a similar upgrade.
What type of impact might Barkley have in this offense? His addition, now deemed legal, potentially represents the same level of powder keg.In successive seasons, two Eagles running backs earned Pro Bowl mentions (Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift). Both are good but less talented.
Ask around, and most will tell you they would have been fine with Philly adding Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean in Round 1 of the most recent NFL Draft. As fate would have it, the Birds were able to land both. That’s outstanding.
Most saw Mitchell as the best cornerback in the draft. Philadelphia selected him without having to trade up from the 22nd overall selection when the theory was that was their only option. Talk about a steal.DeJean, another prospect most thought had first-round talent, was still available in Round 2. The Eagles traded up and landed him with the 40th overall selection. That, by definition, is another steal.Philly hadn’t taken a defensive back in the first round of any NFL Draft since 2002 (Lito Sheppard). They had only taken three during their 90-plus-year history. This time around they add two studs.
We believe that’s going to pay off for them. Mitchell and DeJean have all the tools to be successful. Both of these selections should work out for them. It will be fun to watch these two grow up with one another.
