Philadelphia Eagles: Boogie Basham is a name to watch on Day 2

“In the NFL, you win in the trenches” – Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles GM (probably).

If there’s one position grouping the Philadelphia Eagles have been particularly focused on drafting during the Howie Roseman-era, it’s the defensive line.

Sure, he’s selected his fair share of wide receivers, offensive linemen, and linebackers – just kidding – but of the nine picks Roseman has made as the Eagles’ resident head honcho since earning the GM title in 2010, four have been either defensive tackles, defensive ends, or outside linebackers – I’m looking at you, Marcus Smith.

So naturally, when news broke that the Eagles are incredibly high on edge rusher Kwity Paye, it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise for fans who are in the know. I mean, come on, why wouldn’t Roseman go back to the blue and maize of Michigan to draft the second-coming of Brandon Graham with his 10th first-round selection? I mean, isn’t that just how things break for fans in Philly?

Well, what if I were to tell you there’s a player with a very similar athletic profile to Paye who will be available on Day 2 who could fill a similar role with the Philadelphia Eagles moving forward? Would that interest you? Because such a player exists, and he has a very cool name to boot.

Why not Boogie on down to Basham on Day 2, Philadelphia Eagles?

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Boogie Basham got his nickname because he loves to dance.

By age 3, Basham was cuttin’ a rug with the best of them, and that flair for the entertainment of others has stuck with the Roanoke, Virginia native all the way through a four-year stint playing defensive end for the Wake Forrest Demon Deacons, even if he only really gets to bust a move after violently taking an opposing quarterback to the ground.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 274-pounds at the official Wake Forrest pro day, Basham initially redshirted as a rookie before going on to become a force for the Demon Deacons for four straight seasons. Though he only surpassed 10 sacks once in his career – largely due to COVID-19 limiting his super-senior season to only six games – Basham found a way to impact darn near every game he appeared in, logging 173 total tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, and 19.5 total sacks in 42 games of action.

Had Basham played for a team like Ohio State or Alabama, he very well may be looked at as a certified first-rounder, but because he instead took his services to the ACC’s what, fourth-best team, he’s been almost exclusively relegated to Day 2 by mock drafters and talent evaluators in the know.

Between you and me, I don’t see why.

On a team like those previously mentioned, or other loaded defensive lines like Miami, turning in a few good but not great seasons is often overlooked because of the sheer volumes of talent surrounding each player and the fact that there is, in fact, only one ball. Boogie has the opposite problem. Because he was the only lineman with a top-100 pedigree on the Demon Deacons’ line, Basham was routinely double-teamed by opposing offensive lines in a way that would all but never happen at the NFL level, especially if he’s lined up next to Fletcher Cox.

Still, Basham remained competitive on most snaps I’ve watched him play and looked like a man among boys when taking on the offensive lines of teams like UNC, Duke, and even Clemson, who are pretty darn good, if you didn’t know.

Looks pretty good, right?

Like Kwity Paye, Basham is a bigger edge rusher who can play versus the run and the pass, all the while possessing the ability to kick it inside and rush from either tackle position on third downs. Now who, you may ask, does that sound like? Well, none other than Brandon Graham, Howie Roseman’s first-ever first-round pick, and the player many compare Paye to when specifically contextualizing him with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now granted, Paye is a better player than Basham now and will probably be a better pro long-term, but just how high is either of their ceilings? Graham has been an incredibly consistent contributor over his decade-plus tenure with the Eagles, but he only made his first Pro Bowl appearance in his 10th professional season and has still yet to record 10 sacks in a single regular season campaign.

If a team gets that sort of production out of a top-15 pick, many a fan would gripe and groan, going so far as to throw the “B-word” around, but if the very same production came out of a second-rounder, you’d nary find a fan with a bad word to say – which is more of a perception issue than an actual talent issue, but I digress.

So really, the question shouldn’t be “Is Carlos “Boogie” Basham better than Kwity Paye” but instead “Is Jaycee Horn and “Boogie” Basham better than Kwity Paye and, say, Asante Samuel Jr.” as that is the trade-off of focusing on a non-edge rusher in the first to then settle on a slightly less heralded option in the second round.

Well, that and a $10-plus million fifth-year option.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea ever for the Philadelphia Eagles to address the defensive end position early in the 2021 NFL Draft. While they are returning their top-3 performers from last season in Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, only the latter most of the group is under contract after next March, and it’s not like he’s getting any younger. With that being said, Howie Roseman really doesn’t have to reach with the 12th overall pick if “better” players are on the board, as there will still be solid edge rushers available in the second round, some of whom have very cool nicknames to boot.