Predicting Philadelphia Eagles' Stat Leaders in 2017

The Philadelphia Eagles front office is still hard at work piecing together the 2017 roster. But it's never too early to take a look forward to the season and envision who will be leading the team in every statistic.

On the heels of the draft, the Eagles have a much clearer view of what things will look like in terms of personnel and who they can expect to count on. Philly addressed their biggest needs and filled them with impact playmakers via the draft, a perfect complement to the important signings the Eagles made in free agency.

While there is still work to do regarding a number of players and positions, for the first time Eagles fans can take a glance at the roster and have some idea of what to expect from each key position.

With that in mind, let's dive right in and figure out who will be leading the team in each respective statistical category.

Passing

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Carson Wentz: 388-of-611, 4,170 yards, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions

The Wentz wagon is riding in full force to 2017 and his second season at the helm, which includes a critical reinforcement of attacking weapons for the young quarterback.

Carson Wentz showed an incredible amount of promise in his rookie season, but he did much more than give hope for the future. Wentz immediately looked to be near the top tier of quarterbacks with poise, intelligence and skill that few starting quarterbacks in the NFL can boast. 

Only four quarterbacks attempted more passes than Wentz in his rookie season, a trend that should continue in 2017 as the West Coast offense implores Wentz to move the offense along with a multi-faceted short passing game. It's still unclear how much the rushing attack will benefit the offense in 2017, which is more of a reason to expect big numbers from Wentz and his receivers.

The acquisitions of Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and a few talented young wideouts will elevate Wentz near the top of passing stats in 2017.

Rushing

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Wendell Smallwood: 180 carries, 640 yards, 6 touchdowns

Donnel Pumphrey: 140 carries, 550 yards, 3 touchdowns

Darren Sproles: 75 carries, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns

The likely exodus of Ryan Mathews from the Eagles offense will open up nearly 200 carries from the previous season, which should be primarily snatched up by second-year back Wendell Smallwood.

Smallwood showed glimpses of greatness in his rookie season, but he only got 77 carries as he fought his way into a share of the touches. If and when Mathews is shown the exit door, it's proof that the Eagles are ready to make Smallwood the No. 1 back and see what he can do.

That being said, the Eagles' selection of San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey told us that they're much more focused in a by-committee backfield rather than featuring a workhorse. Pumphrey is under-sized, but wiggly and stronger than most any 5'8" backs out there. 

While the versatility and elusiveness of that duo will be the main factor in the backfield, Darren Sproles is still a featured member of the offense and will get his stats unconventionally as he appears as both a rusher and receiver.

Receiving

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Alshon Jeffery: 91 receptions, 1,180 yards, 9 touchdowns

Zach Ertz: 79 receptions, 811 yards, 5 touchdowns

Jordan Matthews: 64 receptions, 699 yards, 4 touchdowns

All eyes and ears are fixed on Alshon Jeffery in Philadelphia, after surprising many by signing a one-year deal to prove he's not only capable of being Wentz's No. 1 target but also worthy of a big-money extension next offseason.

In a nutshell, Jeffery is an ideal candidate to be the No. 1 in Philadelphia with a refined skill set that allows him to move the chains in tight coverage, go after deep balls and excel in the red zone. A big-bodied, composed target like Jeffery should produce big-time stats in 2017 if he stays healthy. If he does it would give every indication that he'll be re-signed to stay in green for many years.

The improved receiving corps will only help Zach Ertz's cause, and after a few straight seasons of strong production he'll continue his upward slope.

The Eagles also signed Torrey Smith, who will be the prime deep threat, but that won't be enough to crack this list. Instead, expect Jordan Matthews to dominate the slot en route to solid receiving numbers now that he'll have considerably less attention on him.

Sacks

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Brandon Graham: 10 sacks

Derek Barnett: 9.5 sacks

Vinny Curry: 4.5 sacks

A young pass-rusher who can produce immediately is just what the doctor ordered for the Eagles this offseason, and they landed a steal in Tennessee's Derek Barnett.

Barnett's presence alone should open things up for the other edge, where Brandon Graham provided consistent pressure in 2016 but could only rack up 5.5 sacks as the pass-rushing unit as a whole lacked explosion. Expect Graham to get more room to operate and hit the double-digit plateau as he continues ascending.

As for Barnett, he's going to wreak havoc on the pocket as well and has a complete array of skills that indicate he could even top Myles Garrett and lead all rookies in sacks. Playing alongside the always disruptive Fletcher Cox will only help the cause.

Beyond those two, the Eagles have Chris Long and Vinny Curry, the latter of whom is feeling the pressure after his production dipped considerably on the heels of a big contract signing. Curry needs to make more of an impact to stay on the roster past 2017, and perhaps 4.5 sacks won't do that, but it will be an improvement from last year.

Tackles

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Nigel Bradham: 104 tackles

Jordan Hicks: 84 tackles

Malcolm Jenkins: 78 tackles

One of the most underrated portions of the Eagles roster lies within their linebacking corps, where Nigel Bradham and Jordan Hicks are just waiting for a capable weak-side linebacker to arrive and make them one of the fiercest units in the league.

Bradham hit the 100-tackle plateau in 2016, and he should continue ascending in 2017 as he keeps showing he's capable of becoming one of the top linebackers in the league. He pairs perfectly well with middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, who will comfortably finish in second in tackles thanks to his top-end awareness and instincts.

Fellow safety Rodney McLeod inked out Malcolm Jenkins for third in tackles last season, but many of those came on big passing plays that plagued the Eagles last season. With an improved cornerback unit this coming season, expect the strong safety Jenkins to make more tackles and show again that he's a disruptive box-crashing safety.