Eagles 2020 Offseason

[bkeich]

As far as Jalen Hurts, I am not going to be in the vast majority. I like the pick.

Ignore the fact that they are calling him a QB. He isnt an NFL QB most likely, he is a playmaker.

Lets pretend that the 2020 season is going to happen and look at the offensive playmakers:

Wentz, Sudfeld
Jeffries, DJax, Raegor, JJAW, Ward
Ertz, Godert
Sanders, Scott, ??

I like Hurts because he fills a huge need, a threat. That is, for the most part, a below average group with only our TEs looking strong. Our WR, well, it isnt inconcievable that Greg Ward is the best, it really isnt. Others may be hurt (DJax) or questionable (Raegor) or just useless (JJAW, Jeffries). We need to add weapons to this offense, and while Raegor is a step, he may not be a great fit and he may only be a guy who threatens but doesnt do much.

Hurts comes in, he can literally play every position but TE. He is a threat everywhere.

If things go right he fills the 3rd QB slot in name only, he isnt intended to be a Kevin Kolb / AJ Feeley type development QB. He is more of a Kordell Stwart (younger years), T Hill (Saints) role. He will be on the field with Wentz, he will occassionally take the snap, he will always be a threat when on the field. Our offense needs that and more importantly, I greatly trust Pederson to find ways to use him that are not "normal", it is what Pederson excels at, finding ways to use the best parts of players. He has done that over and over, last years use of WR and RB was just as big a test as winning a Super Bowl with a marginal QB and a bunch of injured guys.

I am happy with this pick, Hurts will hopefully be the guy that other teams are afraid of. Good value. On the QB depth chart in name only.

[flyers19rw]

All of the pre draft hoopla raises the fans expectations for some preordained outcome. Pundits who have no experience in NFL scouting or failed when they did, set the base for the drafting of certain players. When the teams draft outside of those expected players, the forecasters then lead a stream of scorn on the teams that have not made them look good by bucking their analyses.
See post above. The Hurts selection actually does meet a need. In the POs during January, having a player of Hurts’ ability instead of McCown probably would have given the Birds a win over Seattle and then after that who knows? Having Hurts on the roster gives the team a lot of offensive options that it have in the past. Give Pederson some time to tinker with this situation. His creativity has paid off in the past.

[allentown]

This is very true -- for a team with a history of drafting well. The Eagles aren't remotely close to being that team. When a team with a recent history of poor drafts get super cute, it rarely turns out well.

[rpmcmurphy]

This is an interesting take, bkeich. and I can see how Hurts adds a new dimension to the offense. But, there are other needs which it can be argued are more pressing.

I don’t necessarily think that this pick is a reflection on what management thinks about Wentz. But I do think that it may say a lot about how they feel about Sudfeld.

[jimbomill]

look at the offensive playmakers:

Wentz, Sudfeld
Jeffries, DJax, Raegor, JJAW, Ward
Ertz, Godert
Sanders, Scott, ??

so Jalen Hurts, the 7th rated QB in the draft, 94th overall prospect, fits a better need than JK Dobbins, the 2nd ranked RB, 27th overall prospect, or Denzel Mims, WR (7th WR, 46 overall) or Ezra Cleveland OT (5 and 22)? Safety Jeremy Chinn (4 and 50) wouls also have benefited the Eagles more.

In my opinion, Hurts was a bad selection with the knowledge that is generally known. Maybe Wentz can't play anymore, maybe his injury is more severe than advertised ..... then perhaps. But if you're betting on someone being injured and want a viable replacement, then Cleveland was the pick.
P.S. the ratings come from ESPN, taken for convenience.

[VoteForKalas]

If the Eagles under Pederson & Co. are so good at developing QB talent and wants to be known as a "QB factory", why:

1. Is Sudfeld after 3 years still not worth anything on the open market or as trade fodder? He was a FA this off-season, got zero offers and came back to the Eagles on a 1 yr, 1M dollar deal.

2. Is Laudeta going to be shunted aside by Hurts before we even know his quality/value? They are not carrying 4 QB and Laudeta can be grabbed off our PS in a nanosecond.

3. Were resources spent on vets like Daniel, Foles and McCown? Foles panned out big time so I get that one, but the other two did nada other than cash checks. McCown proved he was completely unable to perform in game action unfortunately (I could have told you that much earlier!)

4. Did Thorson never pan out and got cut so quickly? Was that just a really bad pick or what?

Picking a QB at #53 that will not play likely until 2021 at the earliest since Sudfeld probably stays as the #2 in 2020 is moronic.

A 2nd round pick is a premium and needs to be a player who plays either that same year or the next year. They really need to be a starter during their rookie deal since that is the main benefit of having young talent producing well while they are cheap. Otherwise, they should have traded back and picked up more chances to help the roster.

[jimbomill]

may say a lot about how they feel about Sudfeld.

How many teams spend a second rounder in a good draft on replacing/updating their backup QB while ignoring other more pressing needs?

[LegoDoom]

I am feeling the same way. If the Eagles are saying that they think there can be a way to have multiple passers on the field, then I like the pick as long as there are multiple packages to put him in. He also has the added value in getting better as a true QB (at least some have compared him to Russell Wilson).

He can be a playmaker, backup QB, and developmental QB. He will make less than what Sudfeld made last year, so it's not a bad move cap-wise, either.

I liked a few other players that were available and would have gone a different direction, but I get it and am more than willing to see how it plays out.

[LegoDoom]

ESPN rankings mean nothing to NFL teams.

FWIW, I would have taken Jeremy Chinn. Or Mims (if Reagor wasn't the 1st pick).

[phillychuck]

so Jalen Hurts, the 7th rated QB in the draft, 94th overall prospect, fits a better need than JK Dobbins, the 2nd ranked RB, 27th overall prospect, or Denzel Mims, WR (7th WR, 46 overall) or Ezra Cleveland OT (5 and 22)? Safety Jeremy Chinn (4 and 50) wouls also have benefited the Eagles more.

This is a pretty damning analysis--spot on. I liked 3 of those 4 guys there and would have be OK with Dobbins since the value was so extraordinarily good.

[phillychuck]

Just as a fun exercise, and I intend to go back to this in a couple of years to see how wrong I was, here are the Eagles' picks and a few guys I would have rather taken at the time:

1(21) REAGOR-->Jefferson (WR), Murray (LB), Gladney (CB), Queen (LB)
2(53) HURTS--> Mims (WR), Fulton (CB), Chin (S), Cleveland (OT)
3(103) TAYLOR-->Peoples-Jones (WR), Curtis Weaver (EDGE), Davis-Gaither (LB), JR Reed (S), K'Von Wallace (S)

I like the Taylor pick OK, only slightly prefer Davis-Gaither because he will be ready sooner.

[xogfog]

Woke up today still scratching my head. When Andy Reid took A J Feeley in the draft, it wasn't the biggest deal, even though Donovan was in his prime, and the reason it wasn't that big a deal is because he got him in the 5th round and was smartly able to groom him and eventually trade him for a 2nd rounder. Hurts in the 2nd round, you can groom him and then trade him for... a 2nd rounder, what is the point? As for Taysom Hill comparisons, he was undrafted, if you wanted another Taysom Hill, there are probably a bunch of undrafted QBs built like LBs that you could have groomed into Taysom Hill...

With Reagor, I thought they were trying to model themselves after the Chiefs by just putting shear speed on the field. Mims would have accomplished that. But taking a QB with a mid second round pick, who you are talking about running a gimmick offense with with two QBs on the field, when you have 128 million invested in your franchise QB who is lacking weapons on offense is such a slap in the face to Wentz, I still can't believe they did that.

[Florida_Sunshine]

It has to be that the Eagles are so concerned with Carson's ability to stay healthy, they drafted a good backup AND a guy that can also play on the field with Carson, when he is healthy, and cause all kinds of problems for the defense.

And they may know that with RB, TE in great shape and with their inside knowledge of their WR, they must think they have enough weapons.

We just don't know.

In a year, we could all end up looking dumb for not seeing what they saw.

I just wouldn't bet on it.

I guess other teams D will always need to dedicate 2 spys for Hurts and Wentz when they are out there together because of trick plays.

[allentown]

If the Eagles want to develop a QB they should develop Wentz. I see no indication that Wentz's body is injury-prone. He has been injured a lot because he refuses to stop running into heavy traffic. It should not be impossible to get him to end his runs over the middle with a slide or not to challenge two defenders at the goal line, going in vertically. Throw the ball away instead of taking the sack. How difficult can it be to teach an oft-injured QB that he is not indestructible and that you can't safely do in the NFL where the bigger, faster defensive players will kill you when you keep trying to do what you got away with in a weak collegiate league. The QBs who have long, successful careers don't do this crap. Better receivers would reduce Wentz's perceived need to do this crap. Mims would have done more to help with the injured starting QB problem than Hurts will.

We have a fair amount of cap space left. What is Howie going to do with it?

Hurts seems a bone thrown to Press Taylor. What has Press ever done to earn that?

It really looks like the Eagles aren't expecting a 2020 season.

[xogfog]

This draft is terrible so far just on the basis of where they have drafted their picks. Reagor is a 2nd round pick, Hurts is a 3rd round pick, Taylor is a 4th or 5th round pick. When the team is close to contending and has specific needs it's not the time to reach or take picks for the future. They literally could have had three day one starters with the guys they passed over.

[VoteForKalas]

He can be a playmaker, backup QB, and developmental QB. He will make less than what Sudfeld made last year, so it's not a bad move cap-wise, either.

The problem with that is learning and developing as a full time QB is a full time 100% process.

If he is utilized as a RB/WR/TE/Gadget QB, that takes away time, reps and resources that should be focused on developing him as a full time QB.

Everyone always talks about Hill in NO as the heir apparent to Brees. Hill had a total of 41 snaps and 6 pass attempts in real game action last season as a QB. In 2018, he had 64 snaps and 7 pass attempts at QB.

Developing a starting QB based on those small numbers is very difficult and it takes years. The value of a good 2nd rd pick is they are a productive starter during a large part of their cheap rookie deal. Hurts will not likely be a starter ever with Wentz here, but it is not even feasible until 2022 at the earliest unless Wentz retires due to injury or the Eagles trade him for value. That last point would be tough because of Wentz's large contract and trying to trade Hurts for value would likely be a wash at best since no team would give the Eagles more than a 2nd rd pick they used to draft him.

[zambonir]

It has to be that the Eagles are so concerned with Carson's ability to stay healthy, they drafted a good backup AND a guy that can also play on the field with Carson, when he is healthy, and cause all kinds of problems for the defense.

The thing is, is he actually a good back-up? Foles was a great back-up because he was experienced and ran an offense that was tailored for him. McCown was competent in that game (and would have been more so healthy) because he was experienced. Hurts has far more talent but is a questionable passer (there's a reason he lost his job in Alabama and he was not as good as his predecessors in Oklahoma). He may be a star in this league for years to come if he works out but he doesn't strike me as Wentz insurance in 2020. I do think this does suggest the Eagles are thinking longer-term, and that even if there is a season it's not Super Bowl or bust (which it probably wasn't anyway).

Otherwise, yeah, he's gonna be on the field with Wentz a lot. Hill had more than 500 snaps last year but half of those were on special teams (and another 200 or so not at QB). I'm not sure being a gadget player hurts his development at QB because back-up QBs simply don't get that many snaps (even in practice). If he's actually the second-stringer he will get them and if he's not he won't. It almost seems like they loved Greg Ward so much they wanted to find a better one.

[phillychuck]

K'Von Wallace, S, Clemson -- seems a sensible pick in round 4.

[xogfog]

Agree. Better hit with the next two picks. I would have liked Gandy-Golden, maybe he'll still be there.

[phillychuck]

One of the next two picks should be a WR I'd think, but who knows this year? What is Minnesota going to do with all their picks?