The Lifeblood

Posted: September 25th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

One of the tried and true axioms in the football world is that the draft is the lifeblood of a team. You must draft well if you want to sustain success. Sure, you can cobble together a good roster of veterans, but you need young, cheap players to sustain success.

Howie Roseman has done a spectacular job of making the big decisions. One of those was to hire Joe Douglas and Andy Weidl to come run the college scouting department for the Eagles. Giving up control of the draft wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do. Howie still has his say, but he’s smart enough to know the Eagles have built a great scouting staff and you have to let them do their thing.

Recent drafts are looking pretty good.

2016

QB Carson Wentz – Stud.

OL Isaac Seumalo – Has developed into versatile backup and is potential future starter.

RB Wendell Smallwood – Backup RB and STer. Coming off his best game.

OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai – Key backup who has started 19 games in three years (including the playoffs). Has started at RT and LT.

CB Jalen Mills – Late round pick has developed into a solid starting CB.

DT Destiny Vaeao – Undrafted DT has proven to be an effective role player.

2017

DE Derek Barnett – Starting RDE. Huge fumble recovery helped Eagles win the Super Bowl. Coming off the best game of his young career.

CB Sidney Jones – Plays the nickel spot and is very much a player on the rise. Potential to develop into outstanding CB.

CB Rasul Douglas – Long CB with excellent ball skills. Has 3 INTs in 17 career games. Backup for now, but could develop into starter.

WR Mack Hollins – Had promising rookie year, but is currently on IR. Big receiver who is an outstanding blocker, good STer and still has the speed to be a vertical threat.

WR Shelton Gibson – Speedy receiver has yet to find his niche on offense. Has become solid STer.

LB Nate Gerry – Promising young LB is good on STs and is now an effective backup on defense. Could be starter in the future.

RB Corey Clement – Outstanding role player. Some think he could be starter if given the chance. Great showing in the Super Bowl. Good STer as well.

P Cameron Johnston – Didn’t play in 2017, but is the starter now. 2nd in the NFL in punting average, at 51.5 yards per punt. Explosive leg.

2018

TE Dallas Goedert – Big TE with excellent hands. Scored his first TD on Sunday and had a breakout game. Not only caught the ball well, did a good job as a blocker. Looks like a stud.

CB Avonte Maddox – Backup and STer for now. Likely to be the slot corner in the future.

DE Josh Sweat – Young DE is still a project. Has big potential, but was somewhat disappointing in the preseason.

OL Matt Pryor – Coaches love his potential at OG and OT. Big blocker who could develop into a starter.

OT Jordan Mailata – The project of all projects, but looks to be a future starter. Immensely gifted and showed tremendous promise this summer.

There have been some misses (Donnel Pumphrey), but overall the drafts have brought in a lot of talent. This is even more impressive when you realize that the Eagles have had limited resources due to the Sam Bradford trade and then the move up for Wentz.

The team is loaded with picks for 2019 and that’s exciting based on what the scouting department has done the past few years.

*****

https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1044705238748286976

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One Comment on “The Lifeblood”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Carson Wentz continues to make a big impact off the field – SportsNewsNow said at 9:48 AM on September 26th, 2018:

    […] The Lifeblood – Iggles BlitzOne of the tried and true axioms in the football world is that the draft is the lifeblood of a team. You must draft well if you want to sustain success. Sure, you can cobble together a good roster of veterans, but you need young, cheap players to sustain success. Howie Roseman has done a spectacular job of making the big decisions. One of those was to hire Joe Douglas and Andy Weidl to come run the college scouting department for the Eagles. Giving up control of the draft wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do. Howie still has his say, but he’s smart enough to know the Eagles have built a great scouting staff and you have to let them do their thing. Recent drafts are looking pretty good. […]