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Seize The Day: The Philadelphia Eagles Should Draft a QB

By Michael Beaudwin

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Feb 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Dakota State Bisons quarterback Carson Wentz smiles prior to starting his work out during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Dakota State Bisons quarterback Carson Wentz smiles prior to starting his work out during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Last week, famed draft guru Mike Mayock, of NFL.com, goes on record stating that the Philadelphia Eagles “should make drafting a quarterback [a] number one priority.”

Of course, being the fan that I am, I clicked on the article. It was a short piece basically stating what we already know: Sam Bradford’s numbers, and that the Eagles have the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Nothing crazy, and since I respect Mr. Mayock, I will never say he is flat-out wrong, but there is so much more to the Eagles QB-situation than first glance would show, that I am not sure Mayock is right.

First-off, let’s make it clear that I absolutely believe that, if a team believes they can land a franchise QB through the draft, then they should go for it every time, regardless of round or pick. I also believe that a team should only do this when; they have a below average quarterback, and/or the need at any other position is greater than the quarterback currently in-house. So in the case of the Eagles, the need at offensive line is greater than Sam Bradford. The Eagles need to inject some youth into the offensive line, and Bradford is not a below average quarterback.

That last bit is where things get a bit tricky, though. Bradford was arguably the most perplexing QB of the 2015 season. He is not a below average starter, but he also was nowhere near consistent enough to think of him as Philly’s answer. But again, it’s tricky. If you watched Bradford, you were likely not-wowed by any one week’s performance. If anything Bradford managed to open himself for more questions. Bradford’s lack of “wow” was a definite problem, but it’s not like he was getting much help from his surrounding talent. The Eagles had the most-drops by receivers in the entire league, and had to deal with an oft-injured offensive line. And when they weren’t injured, some players were just giving up.

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Major network tabs Sam Bradford as Arizona Cardinals worst free agent signing since 2018
Major network tabs Sam Bradford as Arizona Cardinals worst free agent signing since 2018 /

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    • This doesn’t let Bradford off the hook. He still posted lackluster red-zone numbers and a meager TD/INT ratio. So, if we really drilled down on Bradford’s numbers, we could argue both good, and bad, points on him for the next four days. When I said he was “perplexing” I wasn’t being hyperbolic. Every time you can praise the man (65% completion), you can bring up something damning him (86.4QBR). All of this has to be taken into consideration when deciding Bradford’s future in Philly.

    The Eagles do need to address the quarterback situation. And all of these things are included in that. If Bradford does not progress any further than he has, then he is clearly not the future. Drafting a QB, in the first round, could keep the team prepared, but Philadelphia does not have any second round selections. Not yet anyways. Which makes everything that you j So whatever they don’t address in Day 1 just means they have a long time to think about what they will address by the time of Round 3.

    Luckily, the Eagles have already given an extension to Bradford, and strategically, this is the right move. Currently, there is no better option in the open market. This gives the team a bit of a safety net. They have been striving for stability and continuity this off-season and this a helluva a step in the right direction. However, Philly still needs to keep an open mind when it comes to the draft. If, somehow, a top QB prospect is still available when it comes time for the Eagles to make their selection, then they absolutely have to jump on that opportunity.

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