April 28, 2024
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 14: A photo of Howie Roseman from the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Minnesota Vikings on September 14, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Photo by Kate Frese/PhillyVoice)
Howie season is a real thing. If you don't believe me, look around — nearly every website that covers the NFL and the NFL draft is calling the Eagles front office big winners (in some cases the biggest) after they made a record-tying eight trades while adding nine rookies via the event this weekend.
Here's a quick look at why numerous outlets are head over heals for the Birds' body of work — and you should be too:
Over at the Worldwide Leader, their experts broke down their favorite picks in each round, favorite QB landing spots and a handful of other superlatives. They anointed the Eagles group of nine as the best draft class of the 32 NFL teams:
In the 2002 NFL draft, the Eagles used three early picks to remake a bad secondary. It changed the defense immediately. That's what GM Howie Roseman must be thinking in 2024. The additions of Quinyon Mitchell in Round 1 and Cooper DeJean in a Round 2 trade up will immediately boost a secondary that looked old, slow and banged up during the team's collapse late in 2023. The late part of Round 3 was a solid place to draft developmental pass-rusher Jalyx Hunt from Houston Christian too. He's the type of player who could be a massive steal if the Eagles can tap into his raw potential. [ESPN.com]
The praise train continues at CBS, where Will Brinson was impressed more with how Roseman used his Day 3 picks.
... Clemson running back Will Shipley was a steal in the fourth round. Dipping back into Death Valley for Jeremiah Trotter Jr., is just good for business, even if it's largely an emotional pick. Johnny Wilson in the sixth round?!?! NC State's Dylan McMahon (aka "Baby Jason Kelce") later in the round?? Just elite stuff from Howie late in the draft. Maybe most impressive: he traded out of spots a ton and acquired extra picks for next year. The drop-off in talent in this class (largely due to NIL trickle down) made moving out of the seventh round and improving your 2025 ammunition. [CBSSports.com]
Get ready for a whole lot of Howie Roseman love over the next few entries. Over at The Ringer, just how Roseman was able to nab the Eagles essentially the two best cornerbacks in the draft class seems confounding. More from Austin Gayle:
How does Howie Roseman just keep getting away with this?! Drafting cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, two top-25 players on the media consensus board, at pick no. 22 and no. 40 (respectively) almost feels too good to be true—and downright disrespectful to the rest of the league. The trade up for DeJean on Friday evening diminishes some of the value of the selection, but both Mitchell and DeJean have all of the tools necessary to be long-term starters at outside cornerback on a team that desperately needs to get younger in the secondary. Plus, DeJean has inside-outside versatility and could make the switch to safety if necessary. [TheRinger.com]
Was Roseman operating under the assumption that the alleged tampering his team did during free agency to woo running back Saquon Barkley will yield a punishment? If so, surmises Jones, he was able to add a bunch of extra picks for the 2025 draft as a buffer just in case. Oh, and also, he said the Eagles won the draft:
The Eagles received some good fortune, as cornerback Quinyon Mitchell fell to them in Round 1. Then Roseman pulled off a trade that positioned the Eagles to take another cornerback, Cooper DeJean, in Round 2. From there, Roseman and company continued to improve the depth of their roster while also stockpiling picks for 2025. For now, the Eagles have nine picks in next year’s draft. That gives Philadelphia a cushion in case the NFL’s investigation of potential tampering with Saquon Barkley reveals any wrongdoing and the Eagles are docked a pick or two. [TheAthletic.com]
Remember last year, when the Eagles got two of the best defensive linemen in the same draft? And also essentially acquired running back De'Andre Swift for nothing? Roseman was operating at a different level — and at USA Today they're accusing the GM of doing the same thing this offseason too. He added a ton of ammunition to the stockpile for 2025 and that was not by accident:
He extracted some substantial additional value for the future by doing so, including a 2025 third-round pick thanks to his willingness to part with a fourth-rounder this year. And his Day 3 picks themselves were solid, too, with fourth-round running back Will Shipley, fifth-round receiver Ainias Smith and sixth-round receiver Johnny Wilson all looking capable of aiding the passing game through specific roles. The speedster Smith also could yield big value as a returner in the aftermath of the league's new kickoff return rules. [USAToday.com]
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