Eagles Jump Cowboys to Draft Dallas Goedert Amid Rumors of Jason Witten's Future

The Philadelphia Eagles finally joined the party by selecting South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert with their first choice at No. 49 overall in the 2018 NFL draft. 

Here's what Twitter had to say about the Eagles trading up in front of the Dallas Cowboys, who picked at No. 50, to add a tight end:

Goedert shot up draft boards thanks to his prototypical NFL size and brilliant pass-catching ability. He made 72 receptions for 1,111 yards and seven touchdowns last season at South Dakota State, an FCS program.

The 6'5", 256-pounder said he's spent his young career modeling himself after Rob Gronkowski.

"[Gronkowski is] an unbelievable athlete. His speed and his size—not a lot of people have that, Goedert told reporters in March. "He does a great job. He's a fierce competitor. I love everything I see him do. When he's running routes, he's going to get the ball every time. He has that attitude about him [that] I think I have, as well.

"He's going to beat you no matter what. You see him driving people to the sideline into the cameras. It's just incredible to watch his mentality, and I think I have the same thing."

Goedert shouldn't have much trouble making an instant impact. He's arguably the most NFL-ready tight end in this class, with a Jason Witten-level peak if he finds the right fit.

The Eagles lost two tight ends this offseason with Brent Celek being released and Trey Burton signing with the Chicago Bears as a free agent. 

Goedert will immediately slot in as Philadelphia's No. 2 tight end behind Zach Ertz to give the defending Super Bowl champions another weapon for head coach Doug Pederson to utilize in 2018.