More on RBs and the Draft

Some people love the idea of spending pick 25 on Alabama RB Josh Jacobs. Other people think that is nuts. Just wait for the second round and go get Miles Sanders or David Montgomery or Justice Hill.

I think there is some confusion as we discuss the possibility of taking Jacobs at 25. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to the fact RB is a major hole on the Eagles roster right now. Instead, this would be about the Eagles having a high grade on Jacobs and wanting him.

The draft, if done correctly, is more about players than positions. That isn’t to say need doesn’t factor in at all, but you don’t just interchange this RB with that RB. Duce Staley isn’t going to like every RB, even though the general public may have several guys graded similarly.

If there is a player you have a high grade on, you take him. Simple as that.

The trick is when you have several players with similar grades. That’s when the team has to figure out RB vs DT vs WR vs OL or whatever else. That is when you analyze your roster and see where the biggest hole is. That is when you look to see where there is depth in the draft class. Can we pass on a RB here and get one a round or two later?

Still, there are no guarantees that things will work as expected. There could be a run on RBs and you could find yourself with bad options. This has happened to the Eagles in some recent drafts. One time it was O-linemen. It has also happened with RBs.

The Eagles are not going to panic and draft Jacobs. Think back to 2017. The Eagles had Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood on the roster on April 1st. They drafted Donnel Pumphrey and signed UDFA Corey Clement in late April. They signed veteran LeGarrette Blount in May. They traded for Jay Ajayi in October. There are almost always options at RB.

But the Eagles may see Jacobs as a really good player and someone who could be a great addition to the offense.

Remember, if you keep putting off taking a RB, you end up with Wendell Smallwood, Donnel Pumphrey, Corey Clement and Josh Adams. Sometimes you have to be aggressive at RB and spend a good resource to get a good player.

My point isn’t that the Eagles should take Jacobs at 25. We just can’t say that until we have a better idea of the other players available. I do think you can argue that there is a good case for the Eagles taking Jacobs.

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Some of you don’t think Jacobs is worth a first round pick because he ran in the 4.6 range at his Pro Day. Pure speed is overrated for RBs. Trung Canidate ran 4.3, but was an NFL bust. Kareem Hunt ran 4.62 and he’s been incredibly productive.

You would rather Jacobs ran in the 4.5 range, but focus on his game tape and not the stopwatch.

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My ideal draft scenario won’t involve drafting Jacobs at 25. I would rather add an impact DL there and take a RB in the second. Miles Sanders is my preference as of now, but that is subject to change. There are some interesting options.

As for the DL, Ed Oliver is the player who really fascinates me. I just think someone will take him before 25.

Another player that interests me is DT Jerry Tillery of Notre Dame.

I would love Christian Wilkins, but he’ll be long gone by 25.

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Jeremy Maclin, who announced his retirement today, is 10th in #Eagles history in receptions (343) and receiving yards (4,771) and he’s seventh in receiving touchdowns (36).

He did all that in just 75 career games as an Eagle.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) March 25, 2019

Maclin was a good player for several years, but he seemed to get old faster than he should. Part of that was injuries.

To put things in perspective, Maclin was drafted in 2009. That’s the same year the Eagles traded for Jason Peters, who is still chugging along.

Good luck to J-Mac in his post-football life.

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