Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Key Piece

Posted April 13th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The NFL Draft is always an interesting time of the year. All 32 teams are excited to see who they can add to their rosters, hoping they can find those players who can change the fortunes of a franchise. One of the dangers of this time of the year is when teams talk themselves into players. And it sure feels like a lot of that is going on right now.

Cam Ward is a good QB prospect. Is he worth taking first overall? I sure don’t think so. The Titans don’t exactly have a great set of options. They can try to trade the pick to a desperate team. It feels like the Titans will take Ward themselves.

Cleveland has Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. They’re stuck with Deshaun Watson for another year. If Ward fell to #2, they would likely take him. I don’t think they’ll trade up. The prevailing thought is that the Browns will take a positional player at 2 and then try to trade back into the first round to take a QB late. Maybe Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough or Jalen Milroe.

The Giants would love to find a good QB at 3. It doesn’t sound like they will go for Shedeur Sanders, though. If Ward slips, that would make them happy. They may be another team trying to trade back into the first round if there is a QB they like in the 20’s or 30’s. GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are trying to win games to save their jobs while also building for the future. That rarely works.

New Orleans found out the other day that QB Derek Carr may be out for the season due to an injury. They could take Sanders with the ninth pick. They could also decide it is finally time to look more to the future. Draft the best player available and add a QB on Day 2.

The Steelers have been looking for a QB for a while. They have an empty cupboard right now. They want Aaron Rodgers to sign with them. They also would love to add a rookie. That could be Sanders, Dart or Milroe.

The takeaway from all of this…be thankful the Eagles have had such stability at QB for a while. Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Jalen Hurts have manned the spot for the past nine seasons. All three were Eagles picks. One of them was on pace to win an MVP award. The other two won Super Bowls.

People thought the Eagles reached when they took Hurts back in 2020. They had Wentz. He had some injury issues and the Eagles saw Hurts as a backup QB who could help the team win games if needed. They wanted Russell Wilson back in 2012, but waited a round too long to make the pick. Seattle snatched him up and the Eagles moved to Plan B, Foles. Both Wilson and Foles won one SB, but there is no question that Wilson had the better career.

The Eagle weren’t going to take any chances with Hurts. They jumped on him in the second round in 2020 and the rest is history.

Howie Roseman has done a great job with drafting stars like Lane Johnson, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Those moves wouldn’t matter nearly as much without the right QB to lead the team.

Howie hasn’t had to reach for a QB. He’s been able to identify QBs the Eagles like and then he has been able to go get them. He did a masterful job at moving up to #2 in 2016 to get Wentz. He took Hurts in 2020. That pick might have been a bit earlier than some expected, but he went 53rd overall. That’s not much of a reach.

The Eagles took Tanner McKee in the sixth round in 2023. They traded for Kenny Pickett last spring. They added young guys like Ian Book, Nick Mullens and Carson Strong in recent years. They signed veterans like Joe Flacco and Marcus Mariota. Not all of the moves worked. But none of the moves required a major use of resources. McKee looks like he could be a terrific backup. That’s a great return on a sixth round pick.

Right now the Eagles have Hurts and McKee as their top QBs. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the #3 guy. I expect the team will either draft a QB or sign a priority undrafted free agent. Always be looking. You never know what you’ll find.

*****

The Eagles have had good RBs for a while now. Saquon is on a whole other level, but there have been good runners for a while. There were a bunch of one-year guys between Saquon and Shady. Before that you had Brian Westbrook. And Duce Staley. Then Ricky/Charlie, aka Thunder and Lightning.

There was a time in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the team struggled at RB. Then they signed Herschel Walker in the summer of 1992.

I can’t tell  you how exciting it was to watch him run for 100 yards in that MNF win over Dallas. He and Heath Sherman formed a good 1-2 punch and helped the Eagles to lead the NFC in rushing.

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Still Shopping

Posted April 10th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

Howie Roseman likes to talk about the fact that roster building is a constant process. Teams are always looking to add talent or depth. You never know when you might find a player who ends up helping the team. The draft might be two weeks away, but the Eagles are still shopping.

The Eagles have a pair of elite receivers in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Jahan Dotson proved to be a good #3 receiver last year. He didn’t post big numbers, but delivered when the team needed him.

Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson were drafted on Day 3 last year. They combined for 12 catches and 2 TDs. Both guys are projects. Smith could turn into a good returner and RAC guy. Wilson has excellent size and could become a good role player on offense. While they have potential, neither player is certain to pan out as hoped.

Marshall had a good career at LSU and then got drafted 59th overall in 2021. In four seasons, he has 67 catches and 1 TD. Hardly inspiring. Marshall hasn’t played on good offenses or with good QBs so that has to be taken into context.

That was from 2022, Marshall’s best season as a pro. He has NFL talent, but obviously hasn’t played at a consistently high level.

I don’t expect the Eagles to draft a WR early. Other people seem to think that could happen. The addition of Marshall doesn’t change anything. The Eagles have their key guys in place. He is here to be the 2025 version of Parris Campbell.

*****

Walker is one of my favorite players in the draft. I’ve written about him before. He reminds me of Brandon Graham, in terms of size and skill set. BG was a dominant player at a big school. That’s why he went 13th overall. Walker was a good player at Central Arkansas. He’s more likely to go in the third round. I do think he can be a good NFL player. He would be a good fit in the Eagles scheme.

*****

I first became aware of Hassanein during the CFB playoffs. He had an interesting story. That got my attention. What kept my attention was his performance. Hassanein has a great motor and is a tough, physical player. He could definitely be role player in the NFL. If the Eagles miss out on a rusher early in the draft, Hassanein could be of interest in the fifth round.

*****

I liked Smith during the season and thought he looked really good at the Combine. He is the kind of versatile DB the Eagles would like. I think he might best fit in the slot, but they could be looking at him as a safety. There is a reason you bring Smith to Philly for a visit. That could be to have a conversation about whether he would be comfortable at safety.

*****

You’ll want to save up your allowance for this.

Zach is a terrific writer and I’m pretty sure that’s a story we’d all love to hear more about. Just don’t let Bo Wulf write the foreword for the book!

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