Eagles' Jeffrey Lurie Will 'Always Regret' Not Taking Russell Wilson in 2012 Draft

A decade later, Russell Wilson is still the one who got away for Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.  

"(Wilson) is a player we didn’t get, and I’ll always regret it," Lurie told reporters at the NFL owners meetings. "It was someone I really wish we had drafted in the second round and didn’t wait. But we really didn’t think that anyone would jump us and take Russell, so that was that."

The Eagles planned to take Wilson with their third-round pick (No. 88 overall) but were leapfrogged by the Seattle Seahawks, who took the Wisconsin product with the No. 75 pick. Philadelphia would pivot and take Nick Foles at No. 88.

This is the part where we must note that the Eagles—and all 31 other NFL teams—had opportunities to select Wilson before Round 3. If he were a shining beacon of light in the 2012 NFL draft, the Eagles would have taken him over the likes of Vinny Curry and Mychal Kendricks, their second-round selections.

There is some level of 20-20 hindsight going on when a late-round quarterback hits big. Look into the past, and you'll find several general managers who were just waiting to jump on Tom Brady after passing on him for five rounds in 2000.

The fact of the matter is that NFL teams significantly undervalued Wilson due to his size. He had prototypical arm strength and accuracy and the ability to scramble outside of the pocket, the type of skills teams dream about building around in the current climate.

It's likely Wilson is the "one who got away" from a lot of executives running teams a decade ago.