April 25, 2019
With the 22nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State. They traded up with the Baltimore Ravens from pick No. 25 to land their guy. The cost to move up was a fourth-round pick (127) and and sixth-round pick (197).
Dillard is a classic pass-protecting offensive tackle. He will be the heir-apparent to Jason Peters at left tackle. The Eagles' depth chart at offensive tackle currently looks like this:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| LT | Jason Peters | Andre Dillard | Jordan Mailata |
| RT | Lane Johnson | Halapoulivaati Vaitai | Matt Pryor |
The decision to bring Peters back for one last season was a debatable one, but one that allowed the Eagles to avoid a severe need this offseason at offensive tackle. And then... they traded to get one anyway.
Positional importance was at play here, as was long-term thinking. The Eagles value the trenches, and certainly, Carson Wentz is a quarterback worth protecting. By selecting Dillard, the Eagles have a player who can start in 2020 and beyond. He just won't help right away, barring injury, which is very possible in Peters' case.
There was some thinking that size-athleticism freak Jordan Mailata could develop and maybe succeed Peters at left tackle. That does not appear to be the course after this move.
Here's Dillard's game vs. Washington this season:
He has excellent athletic measurables, as noted here:
A scouting report, via Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
Talented four-year starter at left tackle with outstanding feet who offers an instant athletic upgrade for teams getting battered from the blind-side. Because of his scheme, Dillard will be a little behind in terms of his feel for set points and firing off the ball in the run game. While he could play with a little more ferocity as a finisher, he has the athletic ability to make all the blocks and the protection talent to become a good, early starter on the left side.
In his post-pick press conference, Howie Roseman said that Dillard was a top 10 player on their board.
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