Regrading the Eagles: Is too much being asked of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith?

Regrading the Eagles’ 33-25 win over the N.Y. Giants upon reviewing the coaches’ film (original instant grades here):

The Eagles’ last two No. 1 draft picks weren’t on the field for the final drive as the Giants offense — in obvious pass situations — tried to knot the score. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis watched from the sidelines as veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham — a defensive end — rushed from inside for all 10 plays.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor marched the Giants as far as the 26-yard line, but his last-gasp pass was intercepted by cornerback Kelee Ringo. The Eagles’ defensive line may not have generated a sack on the series — or the entire game, for that matter — but the personnel choices up front weren’t detrimental in the end.

They may have even been necessary.

Carter and Davis haven’t been as productive as pass rushers in the second half of the season. They haven’t been alone. But for as much promise as the former Georgia Bulldogs have shown, especially before the Week 10 bye, the Eagles may be asking too much too early from the youngsters.

In Carter’s case, he may just be hitting the rookie wall that has claimed so many, including prospects as talented as the 22-year old. But it was curious that he didn’t play down the stretch following a couple mental errors earlier against the Giants.

“That was more a product of the style of game and who we were playing at that particular time with getting [Graham] on the field … not a result of the penalty,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We have total faith in Jalen.”

Overall, Carter played his second lowest percentage of snaps (33%) on Monday. But that he wasn’t getting snaps in crunch time was glaring. His performance against the Seahawks last week was one of his better outings in the last two months. And he was on the field for eight of the first 10 plays during Seattle’s last minute game-winning drive.

But Carter’s numbers have dipped of late. In eight games before the bye — he missed one game to injury – he amassed four sacks, seven quarterback hits and pressured the quarterback once every 11.1 rush attempt, according to Pro Football Focus. In his last six games, he has only one sack, one hit, and a 5.3 pressure ratio.

Could it also be that Carter (No. 98) is seeing more double-team blocks? He had very few one-on-one opportunities, at least, on Monday night.

For the second game this season, PFF didn’t credit Carter with a pressure, although he only had a dozen rushes. He got soloed up on this twist he ran with defensive end Josh Sweat (No. 94) and didn’t get push, however, he could have been playing containment.

De facto defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, when asked on Wednesday to give an area of growth he’d like to see from Carter, mentioned consistency.

“You’re always trying to improve, whether it’s week-in, week-out their routine or just try to get them to maybe look at the game newly each week, from that aspect of it, like, ‘Hey, this is what we did last week, let’s build on that next week,’” Patricia said.

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ pass rush isn’t recording sacks, but Matt Patricia says it’s still making an impact

Carter had a costly offsides penalty in the second quarter when he failed to hustle off the field on fourth down. Sirianni reamed him out on the sideline and when he started to respond to his coach, Graham stepped in to calm the rookie down.

“In some moments so many people coming at him and I’m trying to keep a positive voice in his ear, like, ‘Hey, man, we got your back. It’s alright. You made a mistake. Move on from it,’” Graham said. “He was frustrated for a second, but you got to reel him in.

“I know who he is. I know what his weaknesses are, so I just wanted to help him.”

» READ MORE: The education of Jalen Carter: Cold tubs, Eagles vets in his ear, and 401(k)s

Carter is tied for third on the Eagles with six penalties. He may have gotten away with encroachment on this play, but officials appeared to have mistaken Giants left guard John Michael Schmitz’s silent count movement for a false start.

Davis’ exclusion from the Giants’ final possession wasn’t as conspicuous. He often isn’t utilized in late-game pass-rush obvious circumstances. In Seattle, he didn’t see a snap on the final drive. In fact, when Cox and Carter needed a break on the final two plays, defensive tackles Milton Williams and seventh-round rookie Moro Ojomo got the nod instead.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Davis has shown that he’s a force against the run, particularly when lined up at nose tackle or the 4i-technique spot (see below).

Just five games ago, his run defense down the stretch was pivotal in the Eagles’ overtime win vs. the Bills. He even flashed freakish speed — considering his 6-foot-6, 340-pound frame – when he chased quarterback Josh Allen out of bounds in the extra frame.

Davis (No. 90) does a lot of the grunt work up front and often takes on two blockers. But he seemed to get moved out of his gap responsibilities with more ease as Monday night’s game progressed. The linebacker blitz on this rush didn’t help matters.

The Eagles continue to emphasize to the 23-year-old Davis the importance of conditioning. Pass plays last longer than runs. He came out of the gate strong at the start of his sophomore season, especially compared to his first season as a pass rusher.

In nine games before the bye, Davis notched 2½ sacks, five hits, and had a 7.3 pressure ratio. In his last six games, though, he has zero sacks and hits and a 1.9 ratio.

Davis is far from a finished product. He has flashed at times as a rusher. But it is fair to question the value of trading up to No. 13 in the draft if he doesn’t develop in that ever-important discipline — at least to be on the field when it matters most.

Like Carter, Davis faces his share of doubles — as shown above. But other rushers need to step up when singled up, as sacks have been hard to come by of late for the Eagles.

Nolan Smith, the Eagles’ other rookie first rounder, hasn’t done much as an edge rusher this season. He has just one sack and two hits. Of course, 62 pass rush attempts isn’t much of a sample either.

But defensive linemen often take more time to develop than at any other position in the NFL. Carter’s early success is the exception not the norm. Smith (No. 3) has seen a slight uptick in pass rush snaps since the release of Derek Barnett. Getting to the quarterback, though, has remained elusive.

The Eagles have tinkered with Smith at off-ball linebacker since training camp. He played a few snaps there earlier in the season and the results weren’t encouraging. But Patricia unveiled a new 5-1 “Penny” front against the Giants with Smith as the lone second-level backer.

Smith eluded a blocker on his first play there and made a run stop:

But he appeared to blow his cover assignment on the next snap:

Missed a tackle a few series later:

And probably didn’t get enough depth on this pass thrown over his head:

That wasn’t the first time — whether Smith was at off-ball linebacker or he dropped into coverage from the edge — that a pass was completed over him. It’s happened multiple times this season, which begs further scrutiny into the instruction part of the equation.

The Eagles have brought in a lot of talent over the last two drafts, and because of the salary cap and subsequent moves, have been forced to play some of their youngsters more than maybe they’re ready to handle.

It may hurt them in the interim, but benefit them in the long run. Cox and Graham, for example, aren’t going to be around forever, perhaps as soon as next season. But the Eagles’ relative youth in a key position like defensive tackle is a prominent reason why they haven’t been as dominant up front as they were a year ago.