Eagles Improving Other Teams in Top Rounds of NFL Draft
By Dave Searles
Jan 11, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) celebrates after making a defensive stop against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of the 2013 NFC divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated New Orleans 23-15. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
One reason the NFL Draft completely enthralls me involves the organized chaos that surrounds each pick. With every round and every name called at the podium, an organization is betting that their knowledge and preparation has placed them in a position to get a player who will outshine the others picked nearby.
While no team has a perfect record in the Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have had an interesting, and somewhat depressing trend that has impacted other NFL teams tremendously. In the past four drafts, there has been at least one player picked within three selections of the Eagles’ first, second, or third round picks that would not only have filled a position of need at the time, but has inarguably established themselves as an important piece to the makeup of their current team. I’m here to alert fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals (teams scheduled to pick immediately ahead of the Eagles in the official 2014 NFL Draft order) to get excited, you’re likely to land a stud player if recent history is any indication.
It’s worth noting that I’m not implying or saying that the Eagles got the raw end of each comparison (though it has turned out that way in some), as the majority of the Eagles selections on this list have contributed positively to the team in some capacity during their tenures. What it comes down to is that I’m genuinely interested to see if the streak of another team selecting a game changing player at a position that could have instantly helped the Eagles proves itself a fifth consecutive NFL Draft in May. Let’s start with the most recent example…