Roseman’s patience pays off with prime catch in first round
The NFL Draft was two picks old Thursday when one Eagles offseason trend continued. That would be that not much was happening to benefit Carson Wentz.
Howie Roseman having spent the free-agent portion of the non-season improving his defense, and in particular his secondary, Wentz in many ways was left to wait for help. Then the Washington Redskins used the second overall pick in the draft to add Ohio State quarterback hunter Chase Young to an already dangerous defensive line.
Adding that pass-rushing force to the NFC East wouldn’t help. Neither was it particularly good news for the Eagles when the Cowboys grabbed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb out of Oklahoma at No. 17.
But with Roseman and assistant personnel director Andy Weidl showing extreme patience, even if it likely was to the night-long annoyance of fans waiting for them to jump up to fit Wentz with a speedy wide receiver, the draft broke just right for the Eagles later in the night. For there, at No. 21, right when they were set to pick, the dynamics of the draft had given the Eagles a choice between two highly regarded wide receivers.
One was Justin Jefferson of LSU. Another was Jalen Reagor of TCU. And at that point, the offseason finally had presented the Eagles with an opportunity to furnish Wentz with a wide receiver likely to help for several years to come.
Their pick was Reagor, who at 5-10 is a little small, but whose skill set mirrors that of DeSean Jackson. Because it’s the way it works and indeed makes the draft so riveting, half of the Eagles’ fans will spend the next two months complaining that Jefferson was not the pick. He was, after all, more heavily touted by the amateur draft projectors who never have to answer why they were wrong. The only thing that mattered was that Roseman nicely navigated the first 20 picks, resisting any trades to move up, and was rewarded with the Jefferson-Reagor choice.
Earlier Thursday, there was rampaging discussion that the Eagles would use Andre Dillard to crawl up from No. 21 and acquire the Jets’ No. 11 pick. That would have allowed them to have a better look at a firstround smorgasbord as deep in wide receivers as any in recent years.
But by the time the Jets were at bat, there had yet to be a receiver selected. So whether the Eagles passed on the opportunity to do business with old front office friend Joe Douglas or didn’t have that opportunity at all, they were right not to panic.
Moving Dillard would have been an historic mistake, given that just a year ago the Eagles surrendered fourth-round and sixth-round picks just to squeeze up three spots to select him, arguing that he was a player destined to help them for a decade-plus. Overspending to move up to acquire a guy one year, and then moving up the next year to trade him away would have been an example of mass organizational confusion. Worse, it would have meant another year of brittle Jason Peters, at age 38, protecting Wentz for what likely would have been something less than 16 games.
The Jets, believed to be in the mix for a pass-catcher, kept the pick and selected Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton of Louisville, leaving the receiver pool un-splashed. That meant the Raiders would have the choice of every receiver available, and they would take Henry Ruggs of Alabama.
When the 49ers, who were intrigued by the receiver selection, used the 14th pick on Javon Kinlaw, the defensive tackle from South Carolina, the wisdom of Roseman’s patience was validated.
Even when Denver went for Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy at No. 15 and Dallas took Lamb two picks later, the Eagles were assured of an appealing selection of capable pass-catchers. And when the Jaguars opted for linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson at No. 20, there would be the Eagles with two fine options.
In that, another major portion of the offseason had gone Roseman’s way, just as it had when he was able to acquire Darius Slay.
“It’s no different than in any draft,” Roseman had said. “We’ve always valued the present and the future. That’s our responsibility to make sure that we are competing not only this year, but going forward, especially when we talk about having a quarterback who is 27 years old.”
The Eagles absolutely had to add a receiver in the first round, if only to remind Wentz that he remained the franchise focus.
They should even add one or two more in the later rounds.
“We have eight picks and those eight picks are eight opportunities we look at,” Weidl said. “We are excited. Third round, fourth round, second round, fifth round. We feel there’s players on every level of this draft, and we’ve stacked the board as such.
“We are excited for each pick and each opportunity that we are going to have.”
In what it would characterize as its first virtual draft, a cyber-event born from health concerns, the NFL learned something Thursday. That would be that, when the pressure comes, greatness can be revealed.
So it was that a draft without first-round picks over-dressing and bearhugging the commissioner for effect was expertly presented. There was more football analysis, less concentration on over-served yahoos looking to become the story, and a less cluttered view of the developing draft trends.
“I do believe,” commissioner Roger Goodell said, “this is going to be the most memorable draft we’ve ever had.”
As it broke just right for them, the Eagles would have to be among the first to agree.