Re-Grading Philadelphia Eagles' Past 5 Drafts

You can tell a lot about the Philadelphia Eagles, or most NFL teams for that matter, based on the quality of their drafts from the last five years. In the Birds’ case, some of their weaker classes were followed by lean years in the win column, whereas the club rebounded after better groups helped restock the talent pool.

That, of course, makes the 2014 class interesting. If the Eagles continue to follow recent trends, a disappointing class may indicate a down season is on the horizon.

If we go back and look at those previous drafts, they really do tell the story of a tumultuous period of Eagles football. We gave each class a letter grade based on the number of starters produced—particularly from the top three rounds—and the overall quality of the talent. You can clearly see the impact each group had within a year or two of arrival.

Philly’s drafts have been all over the map in recent years, which might explain why Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was OK with giving head coach Chip Kelly full control over personnel. If the team is going to get on a straight path to the Super Bowl, perhaps one man needs to be calling the shots.

2010

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Round	Player	Position
1	Brandon Graham	DE
2	Nate Allen	S
3	Daniel Te'o-Nesheim	DE
4	Trevard Lindley	CB
4	Keenan Clayton	LB
4	Mike Kafka	QB
4	Clay Harbor	TE
5	Ricky Sapp	DE
5	Riley Cooper	WR

6	Charles Scott	RB
7	Jamar Chaney	LB
7	Jeff Owens	DT
7	Kurt Coleman	S

Philadelphia called 13 names in this draft. Two are still with the team.

Fair or not, most fans still view trading up to 13th overall pick to select Graham as a mistake, even though he was just re-signed and will start at outside linebacker in 2015. Similarly, most view Cooper’s current contract as a detriment, but the one solid season he gave the Eagles at wide receiver more than made up for the fifth-round selection the club invested.

Even though Allen moved on in free agency, and honestly never lived up to his status as a second-round pick, he was a starter in Philly for five seasons. That has to count for something.

Regardless, misses on Te’o-Nesheim, Lindley, Clayton, Kafka, Harbor and Sapp in the middle portion of the draft ring loud and true. So many opportunities, not even one part-time contributor among them.

For a draft that’s five years old, it’s surprising the final grade might be subject to change. If Graham were to suddenly live up to his billing, now that he’s actually going to have a chance to start, the mark on this class could actually improve. As it stands right now, though, it was not a great effort by the Eagles.

Grade: C

2011

Mel Evans/Associated Press

Round	Player	Position
1	Danny Watkins	OG
2	Jaiquawn Jarrett	S
3	Curtis Marsh	CB
4	Casey Matthews	LB
4	Alex Henery	K
5	Dion Lewis	RB
5	Julian Vandervelde	OL
6	Jason Kelce	C
6	Brian Rolle	LB

7	Greg Lloyd	LB
7	Stanley Havili	FB

This is one of the worst drafts you will ever see for any organization in any given year in the NFL. At no point were the first-, second- or third-round picks viable starters, and Watkins is already out of the league.

At least the Eagles got a few years’ worth of contributions from some of the mid-rounders. Henery was the kicker for a few seasons, for what it’s worth, and Matthews provided decent depth before departing in free agency this offseason. Vandervelde is still on the roster, though he’s seldom seen action, so who knows if he’s any good.

The only selection that keeps this list of players from being a total failure is Kelce, who has turned into one of the best centers around. Landing a leader and foundational member of the offensive line in the sixth round prevents the entire class from being a waste.

Still, this is bad. It’s no wonder the Eagles bottomed out the following year after back-to-back drafts failed to produce players who were regular starters at the time.

Grade: D

2012

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Round	Player	Position
1	Fletcher Cox	DL
2	Mychal Kendricks	LB
2	Vinny Curry	DE
3	Nick Foles	QB
4	Brandon Boykin	CB
5	Dennis Kelly	OL
6	Marvin McNutt	WR
6	Brandon Washington	OG
7	Bryce Brown	RB

What a strong class this was. Too bad Chip Kelly is working on getting rid of most of these players.

This was an especially strong draft for the defense. Cox, a defensive lineman who can dominate in any scheme, is arguably the best player on the entire Eagles roster right now. Kendricks is one of only three linebackers in the NFL with at least eight sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles over the past two seasons.

Curry was second on the team with nine sacks in 2014, despite lining up for roughly one-third of the snaps. Boykin is an excellent nickel cornerback who tied for second in the NFL with six interceptions in 2013.

Of course, Kendricks, Curry and Boykin all have their rookie contracts set to expire next year, so it remains to be seen if any will still be here then, let alone a week from now. All three have been the subjects of endless trade speculation.

The Eagles already dumped Foles, but turned him into Sam Bradford at least. Foles is a viable starting quarterback, but Bradford has the potential to be a franchise player—or help the organization land one in Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota, at least.

As a bonus, the Birds managed to turn Brown into a mid-round draft pick in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. The grade might change next year, depending on who’s still around, but as of today, this looks like an excellent draft.

Grade: A

2013

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Round	Player	Position
1	Lane Johnson	OT
2	Zach Ertz	TE
3	Bennie Logan	DT
4	Matt Barkley	QB
5	Earl Wolff	S
7	Joe Kruger	DE
7	Jordan Poyer	CB
7	David King	DE

This could become a really underrated draft in Philadelphia, as two of the top picks are linemen who don’t necessarily make the most noticeable impact. That being said, Johnson has been excellent at right tackle, particularly as a run-blocker, and he may be the heir apparent to Jason Peters on the left side. Logan fits perfectly at nose tackle and is a big reason why the Eagles run defense has been so effective.

Johnson and Logan probably aren’t getting voted to the Pro Bowl any time soon, but they’re quality players who could be foundational pieces for years to come.

Ertz grew in his second season, though he didn’t quite have the breakout year some might have envisioned. The talent is certainly there, but Brent Celek is still tops on the depth chart, so Ertz’s numbers will have a ceiling until that changes. Regardless, he’s a threat in the passing attack.

All three top picks are productive, which is a plus, but the latter half of the draft didn’t turn out much. If Wolff wins the starting job at safety this offseason, that would certainly boost this class into A territory.

Grade: B+

2014

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Round	Player	Position
1	Marcus Smith	OLB
2	Jordan Matthews	WR
3	Josh Huff	WR
4	Jaylen Watkins	CB
5	Taylor Hart	DE
5	Ed Reynolds	S
7	Beau Allen	NT

So far, not so good. Only Matthews made a significant contribution in his rookie year, granted it was a big one—67 receptions, 872 yards and eight touchdowns.

Allen cracked the rotation along the defensive line, but he needs to show more. Huff also got on the field from time to time and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

However, the sheer number of players that produced absolutely nothing counters the good those three did.

Smith only lined up for 74 snaps on defense, according to Pro Football Focus, which is horrible for a first-round pick. Watkins only got on the field in Week 17. Hart was on the roster all season but never suited up for a game and Reynolds spent the year on the practice squad.

Obviously, there’s still time for all of these athletes to develop and become useful NFL players. But grading solely on their rookie years, this has been a disappointing class to say the least.

Grade: C-