Winners and Losers from Philadelphia Eagles' Draft
The picks are in, but the repercussions of the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft goes beyond the prospects the team selected. The class of 2015 impacts every player already on the roster differently—some positively, some negatively.
While analysts will rush to grade the newcomers, the truth is we don’t know who’s going to pan out. However, what we do know is each one says something about a player’s or players’ role and future in Philadelphia.
In other words, there were winners and losers as a result of the six prospects the Eagles added over draft weekend. We run down the men who have the most to gain or the most to lose in the season ahead.
Winner: Sam Bradford
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Sam Bradford was a winner on draft weekend for two reasons.
First and foremost, the Eagles didn’t trade up for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota out of Oregon or select any other notable signal-callers for that matter. Furthermore, the club didn’t ship Bradford to some destitute franchise such as the Tennessee Titans or Cleveland Browns as part of any said deal for Mariota. These developments afford the first-overall pick of the 2010 draft an opportunity to resurrect his career in Philadelphia, in Chip Kelly’s prolific offense.
As if all of that wasn’t reason enough for Bradford to celebrate, the Eagles went out and got him a present in the form of Nelson Agholor out of USC. Agholor was one of the most productive wideouts in the nation in 2014, racking up 104 receptions for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns. The addition should instantly help bolster a receiving corps already brimming with young talent.
A lot of folks are down on Bradford, but the St. Louis Rams never surrounded him with a quality supporting cast like he has in Philly, be it weapons, protection or coaching staff. I, for one, am excited to see what he can do in a real offense.
Losers: Riley Cooper, Miles Austin
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While Bradford has to be thrilled about the addition of Agholor to the receiving corps, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin must be dreading it. The veterans were already going to be pushed for playing time from the likes of up-and-coming talents such as Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff. Agholor only further crowds the picture, meaning there could be fewer opportunities for aging players with less or declining ability.
At least Cooper might keep his roster spot. The Eagles wouldn’t really save money with his release, so even if Cooper loses his job as the No. 2 receiver—perhaps likely after a subpar line of 55 receptions, 577 yards and three touchdowns in 2014—he could stay on board as a sub and special teams contributor.
Miles Austin, on the other hand, is far from guaranteed to make the team, and in fact it may have become that much more improbable. Austin will be 31 in June and has been beset by injuries the past few seasons, his production falling off drastically as a result of both. He hasn’t played special teams in years, so there isn’t much value there, either. If Austin isn’t going to start or be a fixture in the rotation, he may not have a job.
So while the Eagles seem to have improved at wide receiver, that only means Cooper and Austin will be increasingly marginalized in the offense, if they’re even here at all.
Winners: Earl Wolff, Jaylen Watkins
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While second-round selection Eric Rowe can play safety, Kelly informed members of the media the new kid will start his NFL journey at cornerback, per Geoff Mosher for CSNPhilly.com. And since Kelly neglected to take a safety early in the draft, it would seem the starting job opposite Malcolm Jenkins belongs to either Earl Wolff or Jaylen Watkins.
Wolff and Watkins will have a chance to battle it out for the vacancy at training camp, which is really all the two young defensive backs could ask for. Wolff, 2013 fifth-round pick, started six games his rookie year and looked competent, but a knee injury limited him last season and eventually required surgery. Watkins, a 2014 fourth-round selection, saw his only action in Week 17 at cornerback.
Note, the Eagles defense isn’t necessarily a winner here. Who knows whether Wolff’s development was set back at all, and Watkins has been a non-factor up to this point. That being said, the lack of any viable alternatives means one of the two is likely to start, so for now, Wolff and Watkins are winning.
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Loser: Mychal Kendricks
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Mychal Kendricks has long been the source of a trade speculation, but he survived draft weekend with the Eagles. That’s a good thing, right?
For the Eagles it is, but not necessarily for Kendricks. The depth chart is already packed at interior linebacker after Philadelphia traded for Kiko Alonso, extended DeMeco Ryans, signed Brad Jones and returned Najee Goode from injured reserve. Then the team drafted Jordan Hicks out of Texas in the third round, and the picture is more muddled than ever.
Not only is it unclear what Kendricks’ role will be if he stays, but he’ll be playing on the final year of his contract, not signing an extension that pays him like an established NFL linebacker. The thing is: He deserves one. Kendricks is one of only three linebackers in the league with at least 8.0 sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles over the past two seasons.
Kendricks certainly seems to be unhappy, reportedly avoiding voluntary workouts in Philadelphia the past two weeks. The best thing for him would be a change of scenery, one that comes with a payday—who knows, it could still come to pass.
Winner: Chip Kelly
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After an aggressive offseason filled with changes, everybody wondered what wacky and zany tricks college-football-coach-turned-personnel-guru Chip Kelly would pull in the draft. As it turns out, the Eagles had a very typical weekend, once the drumbeat for Mariota had finally subsided, that is.
Kelly didn’t fall into the rookie trap of mortgaging the present and future for Mariota at the top of the draft. The head coach made sensible picks in Rounds 1 and 2, players who fit Philadelphia’s schemes and could make an immediate impact. Kelly even turned a fourth-round pick this year into a third-round pick in 2016, which is tremendous value.
Did Kelly reinvent the draft? Of course not. Will his choices even pan out? Ultimately, nobody knows today. But despite some criticisms of his plan which thus far had led to a wild and turbulent offseason, Kelly did not look out of his depth at the draft, or even any different from any other coach or general manager. That’s a positive.
Loser: Viewers
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Let’s be honest: The draft was not exciting at all for Philly fans. There were a lot of (likely unsubstantiated) reports the Eagles would sell the farm to move up for Mariota, lending plenty of intrigue to the first 20 minutes of the draft.
When that didn’t happen, it was instant buzz-kill.
Then Kelly proceeded to do the boring thing, making safe picks in the first, second and third rounds, letting the draft come to him. Then the Eagles traded out of the fourth and fifth rounds of the draft completely, leading to a lot of sitting around, waiting for nothing on a beautiful afternoon in the Delaware Valley.
The draft is an exciting time for NFL fans, but it’s not necessarily the most exciting event to watch—especially when the team you follow does boring things, or very little at all. The Eagles improved their team over the weekend, which is all that matters, but if were watching intently, hoping for blockbuster trades and shocking selections, they never came.
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