Philadelphia Eagles: Complete 2015 NFL Draft Wrap-Up and Analysis
There was only one topic the Philadelphia Eagles fanbase had discussed for the last few months. That, of course, centered around whether Chip Kelly, heading into his first draft as the new man in complete control for the team, would be able to pull off a massive draft-day trade and land Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who won the Heisman trophy in 2014 and is the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the draft.
But Kelly was unable to move up 18 spots in the draft to grab Mariota, later denying that he used any players in an attempted package for his former college quarterback. Mariota was selected by the Tennessee Titans, and the Eagles' quarterback in 2015 officially became veteran Sam Bradford.
The immediate focus on the draft became fixing up the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles had major holes at cornerback and safety, as well as wide receiver and guard.
Kelly fixed the hole at wide receiver by drafting USC's Nelson Agholor in the first round before adding Utah defensive back Eric Rowe with his second pick. He added inside linebacker Jordan Hicks in the third round before trading down in the fourth round. With both fifth-round picks already gone in a trade up the previous day, Kelly had no picks until the sixth round, when he selected a pair of cornerbacks. His final selection, a defensive end, marked the fifth straight defensive player he picked.
In all, Kelly did a solid job of filling the team's needs, although he ultimately failed to add any depth to the offensive line. But he's continuing to improve a defense that ranked 22nd in scoring in 2014 and now has new starters at multiple positions, especially in the secondary.
The Selections
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| Round | Pick No. | Player | Position |
| 1 | 20 | Nelson Agholor | WR |
| 2 | 47 | Eric Rowe | CB/S |
| 3 | 84 | Jordan Hicks | ILB |
| 6 | 191 | JaCorey Shepherd | CB |
| 6 | 196 | Randall Evans | CB |
| 7 | 237 | Brian Mihalik | DE |
Most expected Kelly to do one of three things in the first round: trade way up for Marcus Mariota, trade slightly up for a player he targeted like Byron Jones or trade back to accumulate more draft picks.
He did none of those three, staying put with the 20th pick and selecting USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor. The USC product has the exact same measurables as Jeremy Maclin, and Agholor figures to play a major role as a rookie in Chip Kelly's offense.
Utah defensive back Eric Rowe was selected when the Eagles traded up in the second round with the Miami Dolphins. Although the Eagles traded away both fifth-round selections, they gained back a sixth-round pick and added a player they expect to have a major role on their defense in 2015. It's unknown whether Rowe will compete for a starting job at cornerback or safety, but he has the tools and skill set to play either moving forward.
Third-round pick Jordan Hicks was the most surprising pick of the draft, as many wouldn't have considered an inside linebacker to be one of the team's needs.
But with Mychal Kendricks on the trade block, as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Eagles could use another presence in the middle of the field to eventually take over after both Kendricks and veteran DeMeco Ryans leave. In a state of irony, Hicks' third player comparison on Mockdraftable.com is Kendricks.
The pair of cornerbacks the Eagles drafted in the sixth round both figure to compete for a spot in a crowded defensive backfield in 2015.
JaCorey Shepherd lacks the speed and size to play on the outside, but he's tremendous in coverage and has been described as the steal of the draft by one expert. Randall Evans has good size and is a possible candidate to move to safety, depending on the status of cornerback heading into the season.
With their final pick, the Eagles grabbed a project in defensive end Brian Mihalik, who stands at 6'9", weighs 300 pounds and possesses unbelievable athletic ability. It's hard to see him earning a roster spot in 2015 considering the depth the Eagles have on their defensive line, but he figures to be an ideal practice squad candidate with a chance to compete for a roster spot in 2016.
Best Pick: Eric Rowe
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The Eagles boasted one of the worst secondaries in the National Football League in 2014, surrendering 30 touchdown passes, while getting torched repeatedly by quarterbacks ranging from Aaron Rodgers to Tony Romo to Zach Mettenberger to Austin Davis.
The biggest reason for their decline in December was a secondary that allowed big play after big play. The images of Dez Bryant and DeSean Jackson burning the Eagles for huge gains feels like the lasting image of a very disappointing end to the 2014 season.
So Chip Kelly went out this offseason with a plan to fix the secondary. He added Seattle cornerback Byron Maxwell on a six-year, $63 million deal. He brought in potential slot cornerback Walter Thurmond. And with his second-round draft pick, he added Utah defensive back Eric Rowe in what should easily go down as his most impressive pick of the draft.
Rowe, an obvious Eagles target heading into the draft, figures to compete for a starting spot as a rookie, although it's completely up in the air whether he'll play cornerback or safety. The Eagles need a starter at both, and Rowe has experience playing both.
At Utah, Rowe started all four seasons, collecting 261 tackles, 36 passes defensed, three interceptions and 1.5 sacks. He played safety for the first three seasons of his career before transferring to cornerback for his senior season.
At 6'1" and 205 pounds, Rowe still ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. He's a physical presence and a high-character guy, and he's a player the Eagles expressed a ton of interest in, as they privately worked him out at their facility and hosted him for a visit.
When you have a major need at two positions and you land a quality player who can immediately start at either one of those two positions, you know you've done a fantastic job in drafting. Rowe is clearly the best draft pick made by Kelly during his first year in control of the team.
Worst Pick: Jordan Hicks
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While the Eagles' first two selections felt like very safe picks at a position of need, the third-round pick for the Eagles raised many question marks.
First of all, inside linebacker Jordan Hicks is a player who had rarely been picked in the first three rounds in mock drafts. Now, mock drafts aren't the end result, but the point is there's concern that the Eagles reached for Hicks at this point.
The other question is why the Eagles felt like they needed to select an inside linebacker when the team already has tremendous depth with Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso and DeMeco Ryans. Only two of those three will be starting, meaning the odd man out will be the best backup linebacker in the National Football League.
On the surface, the Hicks pick feels like an indication that Kendricks may not be around in 2015, as CBSSports' Jason La Canfora reported that the Eagles are seeking Kendricks and a second-round pick in return. Kelly has since denied such reports, but that doesn't mean Kendricks couldn't still be moved.
As a player, Hicks is solid in coverage and an excellent tackler. His third-most likely comparison on Mockdraftable.com is actually Kendricks himself. He could easily turn into a solid player in this league, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to prove his value as a Day 2 draft pick.
But for a team that had glaring needs in their secondary and on the offensive line, it's disappointing to see the squad use a third-round pick at a position where depth is completely not needed for the upcoming season.
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What the Experts Are Saying
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NFL.com's Chris Wesseling on Eagles' failed trade for Marcus Mariota:
"The Eagles did fine in the first three rounds, but they also swung for the fences and whiffed on their attempt to trade up to the top the of the draft for Marcus Mariota. Along the way, quarterback Sam Bradford and talented young defensive players Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Boykin were dangled as trade bait. How are those players going to feel about Chip Kelly, knowing he views them as disposable commodities? Then again, maybe we're overthinking it."
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Wesseling makes sense, although he implies that the Eagles should have been able to pull off the massive trade for Mariota. In fairness, it was a long shot to move up 18 selections in the draft. Kelly tried his hardest, and no one can blame him for coveting the quarterback he experienced so much success with in college.
But in the end, it was the Titans who decided they would rather have the franchise quarterback for themselves than a bunch of picks and players from Philly.
As for players who were dangled as trade bait, Kelly did deny the report, but in the event that it's true, players do have to remember that football is a business. In the long run, they're still here, so there's nothing to complain about.
Walter Football on the Nelson Agholor selection:
"Meh. Chip Kelly is familiar with Nelson Agholor, but perhaps he should begin scouting outside of the Pac-12. Agholor makes sense from a needs perspective, but this is a bit of a reach; I once had Agholor going to the Eagles at No. 20, but I ultimately slotted him in the second round. Agholor doesn't have the athleticism Kelly loves, so this selection surprises me a bit. Agholor, however, is versatile and should help on offense next season."
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Their reasoning is accurate that the selection was a bit of a reach. Personally, I would rather have seen the Eagles grab Oregon offensive lineman Jake Fisher in the first round and Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley in the third round.
Kelly is a tremendous offensive coach, and I hoped he would choose to use his first-round pick on a defensive player while focusing on wide receiver in the mid-rounds. I think it's tough for a talented receiver to be a bust in Kelly's high-scoring offense, but I do wish he had used the pick on a more pressing need.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports on the Eric Rowe selection:
""He is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the draft. To go up and get him is a heck of a move by Chip Kelly. I think he can be a star safety, but a lot of scouts love him as a corner."
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Prisco is absolutely right. As I noted in my previous slide, Rowe to the Eagles at pick 47 is their best value pick of the draft, and it's not even close. The Eagles came away with a steal, a player who can contribute from day one as either a cornerback or a safety. Also give Kelly credit for waiting until Rowe was just a few picks away before trading up without losing either his third- or fourth-round pick.
What's Left to Address
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It's hard to look at the Eagles' draft and not feel disappointment, even anger, about the team's failure to address the offensive line. For the second straight season, the Eagles didn't pick an offensive lineman. In fact, dating back to the first pick of the 2013 draft, the Eagles have gone 20 consecutive draft picks without grabbing an offensive lineman.
Clearly, Kelly trusts the depth on his team right now, although that's a bold move, considering injuries to Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce early in the season, as well as the suspension of Lane Johnson, greatly affected the play of quarterback Nick Foles.
The team's top depth player, Allen Barbre, missed the final 15 games of the year with an ankle injury, so in fairness, it's tough to expect the team's seventh, eighth and ninth offensive linemen to play particularly well. Players like Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner and David Molk are all in the running for a roster spot again in 2015, and it's really a shame that Kelly will rely only on undrafted free agents to push them on the field.
Obviously, improving at quarterback with a big trade for Marcus Mariota would have greatly improved the most important position on the field, at least in the long run, but for now, the Eagles will be rolling with oft-injured Sam Bradford as their quarterback in 2015.
The two biggest needs on the team right now are cornerback and safety. It's unknown who will be the starter at half of the defensive backfield positions heading into 2015. The Eagles have a number of players who will compete for roster spots at both cornerback and safety. But it's a shame that none of them is a sure thing to win a starting spot and actually play well.
Final Grade
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Chip Kelly's first draft as the general manager of the franchise did not turn out the way I expected, as I expected. I thought the third-year head coach would be aggressive and do some wheeling and dealing that would include possible trades of linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin. I also thought he would succeed in pulling off a once-in-a-lifetime trade for Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota.
He didn't though, and he was also much more conservative than I expected. Other than a trade up five spots in the second round, Kelly wasn't very aggressive while making moves. In fact, he was relatively patient, trading back and acquiring a third-round pick in 2016 for a fourth-round pick in 2015. That's value I'll take every time.
In all, he did a solid job of improving the team. The top two draft picks, receiver Nelson Agholor and defensive back Eric Rowe, both figure to compete for a starting spot as a rookie. Third-round linebacker Jordan Hicks is a bit of an unknown, but each sixth-round cornerback should also be in the running for a roster spot.
With an offense that ranked third in scoring and a defense that ranked 22nd in scoring in 2014, Kelly clearly felt like he needed to improve the side of the ball where he isn't an expert. He made the right decision, and other than a first-round receiver, he used five of six draft picks on the defensive side of the ball.
In all, Kelly showed poise, patience and confidence while undergoing the continued transformation of the Eagles during his first NFL draft as general manager. It'll be interesting to see whether the heavy turnover of the team in the past few months results in the Eagles qualifying for the postseason in 2015 after missing out in 2014.
Grade: B
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