Eagles 2021-2022 Season

[allentown]

Howie has improved the past 2 drafts, but he had a fairly long bad run all-around between the SB and two drafts ago, so it is going to take a while to change that view of him. I don't think Howie sucked in the last two drafts and think he is being realistic about this season and shooting for next season to field the almost finished product. He left himself with few picks this year, but if he has luck with the injury guys, it will be a plus draft. Plus some good NDFA and extra picks next two seasons. The Eagles seem to be in an improving position.

[Docs]

I was concerned that Howie gave up so many late round picks in this draft, but I feel like the top UDFAs signed were guys that I would have been happy with as the late round picks, so I was happy with the players brought in from this draft class when you include the UDFAs

[LegoDoom]

Howie has improved the past 2 drafts, but he had a fairly long bad run all-around between the SB and two drafts ago, so it is going to take a while to change that view of him.

What is your rating of the 2018 draft?

[LegoDoom]

That is true Lego, but they have never really put together a OL and frankly that is what I think is (quietly) the most important position. It is possible to win with a weak OL, but it is pretty unlikely.

The Eagles OL has been a strength for multiple decades.

The most important position is the QB...I don't think that is refutable.

[allentown]

Obviously, 2018 was an excellent draft, given the picks available to Howie. I rate the draft as very good and surmise it might have been excellent if Howie had a 1st rounder. All of the picks were good value for their round, and Mailata was an absolute steal in the 7th round, who will be recognized as a star if he stays healthy. Goedert isn't Ertz yet, by he should be very good at TE. Sweat has shown a ton of progress. He'll play more this year and give us a better idea how good he can be. I suspect he can be very good. I'm not as high on Maddox as the team seems to be. He is certainly adequate. Pryor was round 6 value -- he made the team and was a fill-in. It wasn't an immediate-help draft, but it added four significant contributors, as of last season.

Yes, QB is the most important position, but the quality of the rest of the starting offense can make an average QB look either plus or totally worthless. We saw that with Foles.

[LegoDoom]

Obviously, 2018 was an excellent draft, given the picks available to Howie.

This post doesn't agree with your previous comment.

[allentown]

I really don't think it conflicts. Howie did have a long bad run since the SB. A plus 2018 draft doesn't change that. There were a lot of clunkers in that period,

[LegoDoom]

I really don't think it conflicts. Howie did have a long bad run since the SB. A plus 2018 draft doesn't change that. There were a lot of clunkers in that period,

You said that Howie has improved in the last 2 drafts. I'm not sure what a "fairly long bad run" means... especially when it includes the 2018 draft and you are omitting the last 2 drafts.. You are limiting it to the 2019 and 2020 drafts. The Reagor pick looks horrible as does the Dillard pick (which I'm not sure anyone disagreed with).

[LegoDoom]

That is true Lego, but they have never really put together a OL and frankly that is what I think is (quietly) the most important position. It is possible to win with a weak OL, but it is pretty unlikely.

https://twitter.com/benbbaldwin/status/1522615147004665856

[bkeich]

The Eagles OL has been a strength for multiple decades.

The most important position is the QB...I don't think that is refutable.

I agree, in principle. But I really believe that alot of very average QB's have looked great behind a very good OL and alot of pretty good QB's have failed miserably when they cant setup and throw. This seems to be a secret that Bill Bellichick figured out years ago, he had a statue for a QB (actually 2 in a row), but they could throw and they were accurate if you didnt make them move and gave them 4 seconds to throw. He has always had a very solid OL and also had TE and RB that could help, Brady is truly a great QB, but I am not sure he is the most talented or the toughest or the smartest (well, maybe on that last one, him and Peyton), but he had an offense that was truly designed for him.

I think that Doug Peterson should have a statue outside the football field in Philly just for that reason. He figured out how to use Foles (and Foles got hot) just at the right time and put him in a position to succeed more than about any coach has in a long time. He couldnt do it every time, but he did it once at a very good time.

What is always odd to me is that Chip Kelly also designed an offense for Foles that resulted in one of the best seasons any QB had ever had at that point, and it was completely different. Foles was an odd guy, he excelled in certain situations and was just terrible in others, not many QB's have had the extreme of seasons that he has had.

[allentown]

2019 -- had a first round. Miles Sanders works as second round, though not top value. Rest of draft trash.
2020 -- 10 picks. Reagor an awful first pick in front of Jefferson. Hurts may be good at 2 but open question how much this pick messed up relationship with Wentz. If you extend Wentz, do you make this pick? A ton of wasted cap $. Quez Watkins may be wisest pick -- sad when your 6th round WR receiver shows more than your first. Taylor and Bradley may contribute at LB, have looked lost so far. Wallace may contribute at S.
2017 -- this draft was also really bad, with Barnett the best of the lot

The trades and FS signings are as much of a problem as the draft

[zambonir]

Of course what this debate also can't touch on - especially since we don't know - is who really made these picks and why. Not just Lurie vs. Rosenman (and presumably Pederson) but also some of the names being kicked around in this thread. (For instance, did Andrew Berry have any influence on the 2020 draft? Ian Cunningham?)

[Docs]

Would you all be interested in signing Bradberry?

[LegoDoom]

Again, you are limiting the 5 year window to 2 years (and if you are including 2017, then you are blatantly skipping good draft years).

That being said and admitting that Reagor was a miss... Hurts is a massive hit (whether you think he's the long term answer or not). Taylor, Wallace, Driscoll, and Quez are all good picks.

You've basically narrowed down the last 5 years of drafts to one year because.... ?

BTW, almost no one was critical of the Sidney Jones pick. If fans want to celebrate the Nakobe Dean pick, then we should remember how the Jones pick was received.

[LegoDoom]

What is always odd to me is that Chip Kelly also designed an offense for Foles that resulted in one of the best seasons any QB had ever had at that point, and it was completely different. Foles was an odd guy, he excelled in certain situations and was just terrible in others, not many QB's have had the extreme of seasons that he has had.

There is roughly a 0% chance that Chip designed his offense around Foles.

[LegoDoom]

The Eagles OL has been a strength for multiple decades.

The most important position is the QB...I don't think that is refutable.

He has always had a very solid OL and also had TE and RB that could help, Brady is truly a great QB, but I am not sure he is the most talented or the toughest or the smartest (well, maybe on that last one, him and Peyton), but he had an offense that was truly designed for him.

I "hate" Brady as much as the average non-Pats fan, but suggesting Brady was a product of the talent around him is fairly insane. Brady won a SB before an offense could even be designed for him.

[allentown]

Again, you are limiting the 5 year window to 2 years (and if you are including 2017, then you are blatantly skipping good draft years).

Only one good draft year. -- 2018. I said I liked 2021 and 2022.

[LegoDoom]

Only one good draft year in your arbitrary window? The reason that the drafts after the SB weren't better is because the Eagles gave up draft picks for Wentz. Regardless of your thoughts on Wentz, he was a big part of the SB year. Those draft picks were well spent.

[bkeich]

What is always odd to me is that Chip Kelly also designed an offense for Foles that resulted in one of the best seasons any QB had ever had at that point, and it was completely different. Foles was an odd guy, he excelled in certain situations and was just terrible in others, not many QB's have had the extreme of seasons that he has had.

There is roughly a 0% chance that Chip designed his offense around Foles.

LOL. Well, yes, he came in with an offense, but my point is still that Foles, a guy that often failed, succeeded in that offense for a season (and then faded after that as I remember)