The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t supposed to do much of anything last season under first-year head coach Chip Kelly. Heck, many felt that the team would just fall flat on their faces, and Kelly would be exposed in the NFL with his “gimmick offense.”
Well as things would turn out, not only did Kelly’s offense work, they rode that momentum all the way to an NFC East title in his first season at the helm and a trip to the playoffs.
This weekend in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Eagles were in search of some of the best collegiate talent available to help add some much-needed depth to this team to get them over the hump this season, and potentially to a Super Bowl.
Here’s a look at the entire list of picks the Eagles made this weekend.
| Rd 1 – #26(26) | Marcus Smith (DE) Louisville |
| Rd 2 – #10(42) | Jordan Matthews (WR) Vanderbilt |
| Rd 3 – #22(86) | Josh Huff (WR) Oregon |
| Rd 4 – #1(101) | Jaylen Watkins (CB) Florida |
| Rd 5 – #1(141) | Taylor Hart (DE) Oregon |
| Rd 5 – #22(162) | Ed Reynolds (S) Stanford |
| Rd 7 – #9(224) | Beau Allen (DT) Wisconsin |
With that being said now, let’s have a look at who above was the best choice, who was the worst, as well as give the Eagles their final grade.
Best Pick: Jordan Matthews
With the departure of DeSean Jackson, it was no secret that the Eagles were in the market for a big-play wide receiver. With this being one of the deepest drafts at that position, the team waited until the second round to fill that void where they selected the versatile Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt.
Last season for the Commodores, Matthews tallied 1,477 receiving yards on 112 receptions with seven scores. With this young man, especially in the Kelly offense that finds ways to get their playmakers open, Eagles fans might not even remember who Jackson was.
Worst Pick: Marcus Smith
With their first pick in the opening round, the Eagles selected defensive end Marcus Smith out of Louisville.
Wrong move.
At the position they were in at no. 26, there were still some talented cornerbacks on the board, which aside from wide receiver was the biggest position of need for the team. Ohio State’s Bradley Roby was right there for the taking and they whiffed.
Analysis and Final Grade
Again, coming in, wide receiver was probably the biggest position of need for the team and Kelly addressed that –twice– with the selections of Matthews in the second round and then his former Oregon player, Josh Huff, in the third.
The pick of Smith in the first round was a miss, especially with the wide receivers and corners available still, however they did end up getting a CB they can mold into something good down the road in Florida’s Jaylen Watkins.
Final Grade: B-