Ranking the Philadelphia Eagles Last 10 First-Round Picks, Worst to Best

9. Andre Dillard, OT, 2019

Missing on the Jalen Reagor pick was bad but what’s worse is that he was the second first-round bust in as many years for Howie Roseman and the Eagles.

In 2019, they took Andre Dillard from Washington State with the 22nd pick. Leading up to the draft, Dillard was seen as a developmental player who could sneak into Round 2. Then he suddenly became a potential day-one selection and the Eagles were the ones willing to give him a shot.

As a rookie, he was the swing tackle and made four starts. He was expected to be the starter on the blindside in year two but a torn bicep kept him out for the season. After returning, Dillard lost the battle for the starting left tackle spot to Jordan Mailata, who is still on the roster. He did make four starts as a rookie on the right side though in relief of an injured Lane Johnson.

Philly declined the fifth-year option in his rookie deal and he hit the open market in 2023. Dillard left with just nine starts under his belt and never impressed when given a chance. Despite his issues while in Philly, Dillard joined the Tennessee Titans on a three-year deal. He was released just one year into that contract.

8. Marcus Smith, EDGE, 2014

Marcus Smith never truly had a shot. The Eagles started with the 26th pick in the draft but they traded down to No. 22. That's where they selected Smith, who was apparently a fallback plan. It was learned after the draft the Eagles had seen their top choices come off the board before deciding to trade back.

Eventually, they settled on Smith — who was a poor fit in their defense.

The 6-foot-3, 258-pounder from Louisville was moved from defensive end to outside linebacker and didn’t make the transition well. He was also selected by Chip Kelly, who tried running the team into the ground as quickly as possible.

Smith was far from the only player Kelly arrogantly tried to play in an uncomfortable role. He also had DeMarco Murray, one of the best north/south runners going east/west in a deception-based offense. That was bad but worse was putting the option offense in the hands of Sam Bradford. A scheme that requires speed at quarterback was being orchestrated by a quarterback with no knees.

After just three seasons Smith was let go. He later opened up about the anxiety he felt while trying to make it as a professional in the NFL. It’s hard not to wonder if it could have been different had the Chip Kelly experiment never happened to the franchise, or to Smith.