Will the Eagles be able to take advantage of their third- and fourth-round draft picks?
Four of the Eagles' remaining seven picks are at the bottom of the third and fourth rounds, in a 43-pick cluster. They haven't had a lot of success in that area over the last decade.
One round down, six to go.
While the Eagles’ first-round selection of wide receiver Jalen Reagor Thursday night will be the most talked-about aspect of their draft for the next several weeks and months, what happens the next two days in Rounds 2 through 7 probably will, for better or worse, shape the Eagles’ future as much or even more than what they did in the first round
Two years ago, the Eagles won the Super Bowl with a sixth-round center (Jason Kelce), a third-round quarterback (Nick Foles), a fifth-round left tackle (Halapoulivaati Vaitai), a third-round right guard (Brandon Brooks), a seventh-round cornerback (Jalen Mills), a fourth-round linebacker (Nigel Bradham) and an undrafted running back (LeGarrette Blount) and safety (Rodney McLeod).
The Eagles have seven picks left in this draft, including one each in Friday’s second (No. 53) and third (No. 103) rounds and five more on Saturday in rounds 4 through 7. Three of their five Day 3 picks are in the fourth round, including two compensatory picks at the bottom of the round.
Which means four of their seven remaining selections are in a 43-pick, late-Day 2, early-Day 3 cluster between picks No. 103 (39th pick in Round 3) and 146 (39th pick in Round 4). They also have individual selections in the fifth (168) and sixth (190) rounds.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks the Eagles are positioned well to get some good players with their four third- and fourth-round selections. He feels that area of the draft is a sweet spot.
“That middle ground there is fantastic," he said. “I think they have a chance to get some corners, linebackers and receivers with their third-round pick and their three fourth-rounders. That range there is where you’re going to be able to find guys at those positions.
“The [offensive] tackle position, you’re not really going to like what’s there. Edge rushers won’t be great in that area either. But corners, linebackers, receivers, even running backs, I think you’re going to have a pretty good group to choose from.”
Some of the corners who are expected to be available between 103 and 146 are Tulsa’s Reggie Robinson, Virginia’s Bryce Hall and Penn State’s John Reid. The 6-1, 202-pound Robinson, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds at the combine, played nearly 2,500 snaps in 41 games at Tulsa with impressive production.
NFL Network draft analyst Ben Fennell has referred to Robinson as a Day 3 version of Ohio State All-American Jeff Okudah. “He looks a lot like Okudah and plays like him,” Fennell said. “The size, the speed, the length, the play personality, the frame, the long arms, the press skills” all remind you of Okudah.
Two intriguing linebacker possibilities in the late-third and fourth rounds are Davion Taylor of Colorado and Tanner Muse of Clemson. The 6-0, 228-pound Taylor ran 4.39 in the 40 at the scouting combine. The 6-2, 227-pound Muse, who ran a 4.41, played in 59 games at Clemson, starting 39 of them. He had four interceptions this season. Both Taylor and Muse also bring special teams ability to the table because of their speed and aggressive play style.
As has been noted many times, this is a historic wide receiver class. One NFL general manager said he has first-, second- or third-round grades on 27 wideouts.
“Not all of them are going to go in the first three rounds,” he said. “Some will get pushed down into Day 3 because of the demand at other positions. But this is the most talented wide receiver class I’ve seen since I’ve been doing this. And I’ve been doing this a long time.”
Even though the Eagles took Reagor in the first round, there still is a very good chance they’ll dip their toes in the wide receiver pool again before the draft is over. They have taken more than one wide receiver in just four of the last 19 drafts. In 2017, they selected Mack Hollins (4th round) and Shelton Gibson (5th round). In 2014, they took Jordan Matthews (2nd round) and Josh Huff (3rd round).
In 2009, they selected Jeremy Maclin in the first round and Brandon Gibson in the sixth. In 2006, they drafted Jason Avant (4th round) and Jeremy Bloom (5th round).
There will be several tempting pass-catching options for the Eagles between 106 and 143, including Liberty’s Antonio Gandy-Golden, Texas’ Devin Duvernay and Boise State’s John Hightower.
Fennell has called the 6-4, 216-pound Gandy-Golden a Day 3 version of Clemson’s Tee Higgins. At one point late last season, he led the NCAA in catches of 10, 20 and 50 yards.
The 5-10, 200-pound Duvernay played almost exclusively in the slot for the Longhorns last season and caught 106 passes. He ran a 4.39 40 at the combine and had just three drops in 128 targets last season.
Hightower (6-1, 189 pounds) had 12 catches of 40 or more yards the last two seasons. Fennell thinks he’s every bit as good as Penn State’s K.J. Hamler, who is expected to go in Friday’s second round.
Asked about the quality of talent that could be available in the third and fourth rounds for the Eagles, vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl gave the kind of tell-them-nothing response you expect from NFL personnel in the days leading up to the draft.
“We have eight picks and those eight picks are eight opportunities we look at,” he said in a video conference call with reporters last week. “Third round, fourth round, second round, fifth round – we feel there’s [good] players at every level of this draft, and we’ve stacked the board that way. We are excited for each pick and each opportunity that we are going to have.”
So, the good news is there should be some decent players available between 103 and 146. The bad news is the Eagles haven’t done a very good job picking fruit from that bin.
The Eagles have selected 15 players with picks No. 103-146 in the last 10 drafts. Just three – linebacker Casey Matthews (2011, No. 116), cornerback Brandon Boykin (2012, No. 123) and kicker Alex Henery (2011, No. 120), played in more than 40 games for the team.
Just one – tight end Clay Harbor (2010, No. 135) started more than 16 games (18). Harbor played in the NFL for seven seasons, but only three of them were with the Eagles.
He finished with 114 career NFL receptions, but is better known for his appearances on the 14th season of The Bachelorette and the sixth season of Bachelor In Paradise.