Online draft won’t stop Eagles from dealing
We can only imagine how the NFL’s virtual draft will shake out next week.
The NFL is doing a dry run of the technology Monday, just to make sure all those wires running into Commissioner Roger Goodell’s basement don’t blow out the power grid in New York City.
We do know that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will be on his phone basically 24/7 for three straight days, coronavirus pandemic or not.
Trader Howie lives to make draftday deals. If you think a few technical issues or gun-shy counterparts are going to freeze him out next week, you should have heard him step up during a teleconference Thursday.
“We all have each other’s phone numbers and we all have multiple phone lines,” Roseman said of the GM fraternity. “I think there will be the same level of communication. That’s one thing that is not going to change. When we are in our draft room and we are talking to the Jets, that’s not faceto-face interaction anyway. That’s Joe Douglas picking up the phone and calling us. ‘Joe, call us. We’re here.’”
Mark this down: The Jets, with Douglas as their GM, have the 11th overall pick. That’s right around where CeeDee Lamb, one of the top receivers in a pass-catcher-deep draft, should come off the board. Lamb and fellow receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III are so talented that there’s little chance of their growth being stunted by the yearly change in Eagles’ wide receiver coaches.
Douglas lined up the board for the last three Eagles drafts, all of which Roseman essentially had the final word on. While Douglas wasn’t able to take the guys he worked with in Philly to the Jets — Andy Weidl was secured by the Birds and promoted to vice president of player personnel — he has a trust level with Roseman that can get a deal done. Not to mention a ton of holes to fill on a team that would struggle to beat Shane Falco and The Replacements.
Trust and familiarity are needed to be bold in a draft only a software geek could appreciate. Thirty-two general managers, thousands of scouts, assistants and support staff and it’s all going to come together in a coherent cyber show without major interruption starting next Thursday? Please.
Due to state health regulations, the Eagles will be spread all over, creating virtual rooms — Roseman in one, special assistant Connor Barwin in another, Weidl, head coach Doug Pederson and owner Jeffrey Lurie in others, and so on.
The human element in working at home will be in play, of course.
Visualize Roseman, bouncing around the room ready to make a franchise-defining trade up the board for Lamb, the rumor du juor.
What’s that, a pounding on the office door followed by, “Dad, the cable went out! Dad, you in there?”
“The knocking on the door, we’re going to have to make sure we give them some things to do here to keep them busy,” Roseman said of the kids. “I think it’s a different dynamic but when we are in the draft room, we have some position coaches that are doing the same thing, so we’ll pull on that.”
It’s no secret that Roseman loves to ride up and down the draft board, trading this pick or that.
It’s also obvious that the first round of this draft has players that can help the Eagles, who pick 21st, at any number of positions. If one of the top receivers starts falling, or cornerback Jeffrey Okudah or linebacker-pass rusher Isaiah Simmons, it will set off the value chart in Roseman’s head that works faster than a basic wireless connection.
“When we look at whether we’re moving up in any round, I think we just kind of look at the value of the player and where the board drops off,” Roseman said. “If we see a big gap and there’s a big drop-off, then we’ll look at that. If we feel like there’s a group of guys that we really like and we can choose from, then we’ll probably stay put or move back.”
With runs on quarterbacks, offensive tackles and receivers anticipated, it almost certainly is going to be a volatile draft.
For it to happen in cyberspace is a dream scenario for Roseman and his photographic memory. His draft day decisions aren’t always the best. Offensive tackle Andre Dillard looks like anything but the can’t-miss firstround selection he was supposed to be when the Eagles traded up to get him last year. If JJ Arcega-Whiteside was what Roseman and the Eagles thought he would be, there wouldn’t be so much speculation that they’re after a receiver in the first round.
Sidney Jones doesn’t look like a first-round talent who came off the board in the second round because of an injury. The Eagles wouldn’t have traded away two picks and given Darius Slay a raise if that was the case.
But talent-wise, this is a draft where the Eagles can get exactly what they need to get back to the business of winning playoff games.