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Philadelphia Eagles: Hold off on early draft grading, this one’s for the future

By Chuck Booth

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Derek Barnett (Tennessee) is selected as the number 14 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Derek Barnett (Tennessee) is selected as the number 14 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The favorite pastime of NFL analysts is to pump out draft grades as soon as the dust has settled but for the Philadelphia Eagles, this won’t show the true value of the draft class.

The Joe Douglas & Howie Roseman draft is complete for the Philadelphia Eagles. The new guys have been welcomed (and booed) into Philadelphia and the draft grades are rolling in. Most are giving the Eagles good grades on their draft picks in the early going, but that could change as 2017 wears on and the rookies aren’t contributing as much as expected.

Here’s the thing though, that’s okay. Why? Because the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t really draft for 2017, they set the team up for 2018 and beyond. This is because the core of the team is also set up for a window to compete between 2018-2020. It was clear in the first few rounds that the Philadelphia Eagles were planning for the future but before going too in depth there, let’s meet the draft picks.

Philadelphia Eagles 2017 draft class:

Derek Barnett: DE, Tennessee. Sidney Jones: CB, Washington. Rasul Douglas: CB, West Virginia. Mack Hollins: WR, North Carolina. Donnel Pumphrey: RB, San Diego State. Shelton Gibson: WR, West Virginia. Nate Gerry: LB, Nebraska. Elijah Qualls: DT, Washington.

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Taking a look at this draft class, there is likely one immediate starter on offense and defense while the others will either be rotational options, special teamers or learning from veterans on the team. Looking at the names above, Rasul Douglas will be a starting corner alongside Patrick Robinson with Jaylen Mills playing the nickel. Derek Barnett will see a lot of playing time but with the heavy rotation of the defensive line as a whole, he likely won’t take a true starters percentage of snaps until Chris Long and Marcus Smith move on.

In Sidney Jones, the Philadelphia Eagles could have gotten the best cornerback in this draft but the caveat is that he likely won’t see the field in 2017. It’s a choice that Douglas and Roseman made in the war room that it was better to take the best player for the future over the best guy for 2017. While some fans may not agree with this line of thinking, it’s how strong organizations are built. Rome wasn’t built in a day and the Philadelphia Eagles won’t be either.

Many of the new draftees will see time on special teams as they learn under veterans at their current positions. Then in 2018, they will likely move into featured roles and this draft will be able to be properly judged.

Next: Meet The Prospect: Elijah Qualls

While this won’t always be the case for a Joe Douglas draft, it fit the way that the Eagles are set up at the current time. Depth has been placed behind the band-aid free agent signings and it should be ready when called on. This could have been a good draft for the Eagles or Douglas’ strategy could implode. The thing here is that we won’t be able to judge it properly until the 2018/19 season, not the upcoming one.

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