Philadelphia Eagles: Curb Your Enthusiasm Over the NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles will join the rest of the NFL for the annual draft on Thursday. I cannot wait for the process to reach a merciful conclusion.

Here’s an unpopular opinion: I am sick of the NFL Draft. At this point, after being inundated with draft coverage for the past month, I’m not even sure I care whom the Philadelphia Eagles select.

On Thursday, the NFL will begin hiring a number of new employees. They will begin replacing older workers who, as recently as a few years ago, were being celebrated on the Draft Stage and touted as key assets to the companies who hired them.

The same old narratives will re-emerge. Of the many charges that could be levied against those who inhabit the sports world, originality will not make it on the indictment. Who is the draft sleeper? Which players have the best and worst value? Who is a project? Who has legal issues? Who compares to [fill-in Hall of Famer or current NFL star]? Which quarterback will be saddled with the tremendous misfortune of being selected by the Cleveland Browns?

You want to talk about a draft prospect’s “measurables?” Sorry, but Mike Mamula has forever ruined the pseudoscience of the combine for me.

How about we discuss the art of the draft projection? Who are the cognoscenti making these lists? How can you scientifically sort hundreds of elite athletes who play in various position groups?

More from Philadelphia Eagles

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

It’s an arbitrary process, as fickle as the fans who follow the game. I’m old enough to remember the dark days at the tail end of the Chip Kelly era when the fan base and the sports radio personalities salivated over the prospect of drafting Deshaun Watson. When he left Clemson, he would be at the top of the draft class. Until he wasn’t. Apparently, Watson forgot how to play football at some point in the course of his final season; perhaps it was between his announcement as a Heisman Trophy finalist and Clemson’s victory over Alabama in the national championship game.

Who can say for sure? Now it appears Watson is battling Mitch Trubisky for the honor of being the first quarterback selected in the draft. Trubisky, a system quarterback if there ever was one, all of a sudden might be a better pro prospect than Deshaun Watson? When did this happen? Will the team that drafts Trubisky be running the same up-tempo, no-huddle system that allowed him to gorge on defenses all season? I doubt it.

I am now supposed to believe in the wisdom of the same experts who touted Jared Goff as an elite quarterback prospect last year? Who made us all feel excited about the Philadelphia Eagles selecting Nelson Agholor in the first round in 2015?

The fact of the matter is mock drafts are notoriously inaccurate. The assignment of draft grades at the conclusion of the event is just as absurd. How could anyone grading the Philadelphia Eagles’ haul in 2015, for example, possibly foresee the stalled development of Nelson Agholor? Or the coaching staff change, which led to a new defensive scheme that would make Eric Rowe expendable? Or the emergence of Jordan Hicks as a linchpin of the Eagles’ linebacker corps?

In truth, it is impossible to predict with pinpoint accuracy just how successful a player will be when he begins his NFL career. There are too many uncontrolled variables, too many known unknowns, that will determine whether a player will sink or swim. Will the prospect remain healthy, or will a freak injury derail his career? Will he be a schematic fit for the team that drafted him? Will his new team cultivate the organizational stability that will maximize his chances for a fruitful career? How good are his teammates? Do they also fit in the offense/defense the team runs? Will those systems remain in place for years to come?

Nevertheless, the burgeoning cottage industry of NFL Draft analysis has injected much-needed informed perspective on what can be a very subjective process. Section 215’s own Benjamin Solak has done incredible work breaking down game film of various prospects and composing mock drafts.

However, I would caution aspiring draftniks to consider the narrow vocabulary of their nascent language. Consider this tweet I received from the “Pro Draft Guys” when I asked Solak for his projection on DeShone Kizer:

On the surface, it’s a fine evaluation, certainly, in line with the conventional wisdom one will find among other draft analysts. However, the caveat concerns me: “He needs to develop though.”

Such a statement could apply to any college student embarking on his professional career in any field. How many of us are the same people at 30 that we were at 20? It sounds like a definitive analysis, but its worth is questionable.

Next: NFL Draft: First Round Mock for all 32 Teams

The same judgment could just as easily be applied to the entire NFL Draft spectacle. And yet, so many of us will tune in and watch.

I’ll most likely be watching, too.