Philadelphia Eagles: 10 potential lottery picks to keep an eye on
By David Esser
Gregory Rousseau, EDGE
Similar to that of Sewel and the offensive line, Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have long been making the defensive line a priority. They’ve handed out massive contract extensions to the likes of Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, have used valuable draft assets on Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat, and continued to spend in free agency via the pick ups of Malik Jackson and Javon Hargrave.
The current Eagles regime really, really likes their defensive line, and have made it a point of emphasis to have multiple “waves” of pass rushers at their disposal. While it hasn’t necessarily resulted in win-loss success, the Eagles defense still ranks second in the NFL in total sacks forced heading into Week 13, showing the value of possessing an elite D-Line.
With this in mind, continuing to bolster the pass rush in way of Gregory Rousseau makes some semblance of sense. He’s widely regarded as the most complete edge rusher in this year’s class, and his 6-5 frame would fit in nicely alongside the Eagles run-stuffing DTs. His elite athletic traits also paint the picture of someone who should excel at the professional level.
While Philly doesn’t necessarily *need* edge help at the moment, they have to start prepping for the future eventually. Barnett will be up for contract in 2022, and Brandon Graham turns 33 in the spring. That need for the next great Philadelphia pass rusher is looming.