Philadelphia Eagles: Devonte Wyatt is anything but a consolation prize

Jordan Davis might just be the biggest name – literally – linked to the Philadelphia Eagles during the pre-draft process.

Towering in at 6-foot-6, 341 pounds, Davis dazzled in the trenches over his four-season run in Georgia, helping to quite literally pave the way for a National Championship run during his senior season, and backed it up with at the 2022 combine with a wonderful showing headlined by a Lane Johnson-esque 4.78 second timed 40-yard dash. Davis proved to be such a unique athlete that, according to Mockdraftable, his closest athletic comparable only had a match of 68.1 percent, which is beyond unusual.

Now sure, some will call Davis a luxury for an Eagles team in desperate need of immediate help at cornerback and wide receiver, but when a general manager can grab such a unique defensive weapon, a nose tackle who can stay on the field regardless of down and distance, it’s very hard to pass that up, especially when both of the team’s starting tackles could hit free agency next spring.

Surely watching Jordan Davis dominate in the trenches for the next decade wearing a midnight green – and occasionally Kelly Green – uniform would be a sight to see but do recall, Philadelphia Eagles fans, that there is more than one defensive tackle in the 2022 NFL Draft with a first-round grade. If Davis is off the board, Howie Roseman could still walk away with a former Bulldog in Devonte Wyatt, who is anything but a consolation prize.

Devonte Wyatt could be a foundational DT for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In any other draft class, Devonte Wyatt would be the belle of the ball.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 304 pounds, Wyatt is a smooth operator in the trenches who is ideally suited to play defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme or as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme capable of staying on the field in defensive subpackages. He has good power, fantastic shot-area burst, and the pedigree of being a three-down defensive tackle on one of the premier teams in all of college football.

Like Jordan Davis, he shined at the combine with a 97th percentile 40 time of 4.77s, a 10-yard split time of 1.66s that ranked in the 93rd percentile, and a 111-inch broad jump that ranked in the 82nd percentile, all according to Mockdraftable. While not quite as marquee as Davis’ showing, this performance certainly helped to silence any doubts about Wyatt’s floor as a pro and led to dozens of calls from general managers looking to bring him in for an interview.

The Philadelphia Eagles, to their credit, were early on the Wyatt train, as they scheduled a visit with the Georgia standout on March 16th and have reportedly zeroed in on his name as one of their preferred selections in the middle of the first round. Howie Roseman has long believed in building from the trenches out, especially with first-round picks, and likely views either Georgia defensive tackle as the sort of foundational player worthy of building Jonathan Gannon’s scheme around moving forward or remaining a valuable contributor in another defensive coordinator’s scheme if another team hires away the highly in-demand performer.

In a world where a defensive scheme can turn a player from a borderline Pro Bowler to a base-down-only performer, having players like Wyatt who can produce regardless of what a coordinator wants to run is beyond valuable.

As a rookie, Wyatt would immediately slot in as the Eagles’ third defensive tackle right out of the gates, forming an elite one-two-three-four punch alongside Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and similarly speedy collegiate standout Milton Williams. He could rotate in on base-downs and attack the backfield from the middle of the defensive front, but where Wyatt would really shine is on third and obvious passing downs, where his lightning-fast first step could produce instant mismatches on the interior versus guards who aren’t used to 300-pounders moving so effortlessly.

And in 2023-plus? Well, Wyatt could become the player Timmy Jernigan was supposed to be when he was acquired back in 2017: The Philadelphia Eagles’ next great defensive tackle.

If both Jordan Davis and Devonta Wyatt were still on the board at pick 15, no one would fault Howie Roseman for selecting the former over his collegiate teammate. Davis is an incredible athlete the likes of which the NFL has never quite seen before and may not see again for a very long time. Will he prove to be a better pro than Wyatt? Quite possibly so, but that’s far from a guarantee. Despite being overshadowed somewhat during the pre-draft process, Wyatt is a similarly impressive athlete who will probably spend the next decade of his life playing at a very high level in the NFL, and if that just so happens to happen as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, I don’t think fans will mind in the least.