Philadelphia Eagles: What Direction Should They Go In 2016 NFL Draft?

It’s the time of the year again; when college All-Star games, rampant tumors, and the annual underwear-olympics (NFL scouting combine) dominate the headlines. The incumbent free agency period is little more than a month away, with the draft following in late April. The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, delve into perhaps the most desperate offseason in recent memory, resting firmly at the crossroads of contention and irrelevance. As such, the changes the organization implements in the coming months will likely come to define its trajectory, having already made dramatic foundational-alterations with the sweeping coaching reform. One of the first steps in the process is parsing out and prioritizing each position heading into the draft and free agency. Here, we’ll take a brief look at each position grouping and make some spit-ball takes for each one.

1) Quarterback

It goes without saying that the quarterback position is undoubtedly the most important and influential in football, if not, all of sports, and with Mark Sanchez as the only quarterback under contract in 2016, it also goes without saying that this is far and away the most dire need heading into the offseason.

Say what you want about the offensive line, but priority one is and always will be procuring a franchise quarterback. The Eagles do have the option of retaining Sam Bradford, whose future is totally up in the air at the moment, however, if they decide to move on, taking a QB somewhere in the first round of the 2016 draft should be a virtual certainty.

Despite being devoid of a slam-dunk first-overall selection like Andrew Luck or Jameis Winston, this year’s draft boasts a number of interesting prospects, 3 of which should be in play for the Eagles. Paxton Lynch, Carson Wentz and Jared Goff will likely all go somewhere in the first round, and each could be potential targets depending on how the Eagles coaching staff views them (Lynch is my personal favorite).

This lack of great prospects has been perceived as a detriment to the Eagles QB search, however, I believe the inverse to be true. If this were last year’s class, where the top-2 prospects were the only viable franchise-altering options, then the Eagles wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting their hands on one, considering that 2 high-end QB prospects will almost certainly go 1-2 in most classes. Instead, the Eagles will likely have a realistic shot at at least 2 of the trio of quarterbacks.

Some have posited that the Eagles should pass on this year’s QB class, looking forward to the 2017 crop. This is a really risky and incredibly flawed way of approaching a QB-search. For one, we don’t know what next year’s crop of quarterbacks will look like; some may declare, others may opt to spend another year in school. We also don’t know how good the class might be, considering that the vast majority haven’t researched the prospects. I’ve seen the notion bounced around that Clemson’s DeShaun Watson is an elite prospect, and that could be true, but I’m dubious. Similar things have been said about players like Matt Barkley, Jake Locker, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel, yet when people really dig in they realize that each player isn’t that great of a prospect in actuality. Not to mention, even if Watson is a generational talent of sorts, it’s likely he goes first overall, which is more than likely out of the Eagles reach. Refusing to take a chance on a player like Lynch or Wentz (whom I’d be surprised if the staff aren’t at least very intrigued by) could potentially lead you into limbo; waiting year after year to land the ideal franchise-caliber QB with no real solution. That’s dangerous.

2) Offensive Line

Many have proposed that the Eagles offensive line is in need of a major overhaul, and it’s hard to disagree. Despite his bravado, Jason Peters is in the twilight of a hall of fame career, while the 2 offensive guards need to be replaced. Lane Johnson should be a stalwart for years to come, fresh off of inking a 5-year extension, and Jason Kelce should return to for with passable guard-play. Beyond the staters, the depth of the offensive line is also lacking and could use an infusion of youthful talent. Expect the Eagles to add a veteran guard, and draft offensive line with 2 of their first 4 selections in the draft (rough estimate). If Sam Bradford is ultimately retained, I wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever to see the Eagles go offensive line at #13.

3) Defensive Back

This is where things get a bit more uncertain. Outside of quarterback and offensive line the Eagles don’t really have any overtly glaring needs. For the purpose of this article I grouped cornerback and safety into the same category because it’s difficult to determine which is a bigger question mark at this juncture (though I tend to think safety is the bigger need at the moment).

Byron Maxwell and Eric Rowe will man the outside in 2016, though beyond that is much less certain. Maxwell was signed by the previous regime, and although he’s played much better than public perception indicates, could be deemed expendable to due his lucrative contract. Eric Rowe, on the other hand, really flashed in extended action late in the season and should be a fixture –in some capacity– for years to come. With Maxwell’s future totally undecided at the moment, it’s fair to wonder if the Eagles might be interested in investing further draft capital into the position despite his momentary presence.

Safety, in my opinion, poses much more of a question mark at this point in time. Although cornerback should be considered the more higher priority in terms of positional value, the Eagles currently have 2 starters there, while the same can’t be said at the safety position. Malcolm Jenkins is firmly entrenched at one slot, and is possibly in line for an extension in the near future, however, Walter Thurmond is slated to test free agency, and it appears less and less likely that he’ll return. Jim Schwartz calls for a more traditional strong safety and Thurmond clearly doesn’t fit the bill. If you recall, Safeties garnered some ridiculous contracts last offseason, so I’d be surprised if the Eagles decided to invest a large sum in an ill-fitting player. The Eagles very well could be in the market for a lower-cost option in free agency, or a day 2 flier in the draft.

4) Wide Receiver

This is the final installment on my list of priorites to address, namely because a position such as DE –which I feel can be mitigated by a savvy veteran acquisition and Schwartz’s scheme– and linebacker –which is far from bare– are significantly lower on the list of needs.

Wide Receiver was undoubtedly a weak link for the Eagles offense this past season. Drops, injuries, and general ineffectiveness marred what appeared to be a talented young group of receivers. Jordan Matthews had a rough start to the year before getting hot down the stretch, Josh Huff was as streaky as ever, and rookie Nelson Agholor was wholly erratic, injured, and unable to fully get off the snide. Part of this was the general inexperience of the group, and poor coaching, which is more so an indictment of the previous regime’s ability to cultivate talent, as well as a mis-measuring of short-term return on investment, than it is of the group’s potential. I’m much higher on Nelson Agholor than the majority of others, however, banking on his development into a top-shelf wide receiver is inadmissible. Jordan Matthews is an established player, however, though Josh Huff shouldn’t be counted on as more than a rotational player and return specialist.

Bottom line: the Eagles need to add a piece here, however, it’s likely they’ll address the position with minimal resources and revisit the issue in 2017. This free agent class isn’t very inspiring, and the Eagles really can’t afford to allocate a significant amount of cap to a sure-to-be-overpaid asset. It’s possible the staff takes a stab at a player like Laquon Treadwell in a trade-up, however, that’s likely contingent on the re-signing of Sam Bradford.