Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the 2017 rookie draft class
DT Elijah Qualls, 6th Rd
You can’t really blame the Eagles for hardly utilizing Elijah Qualls. Unfortunately, he was brought onto a team where the biggest strength is their defensive line. As a sixth-round rookie, it could never be easy to move up in the depth chart when the defensive tackle position is headlined by Flecther Cox and Timmy Jernigan.
Since the Eagles are very rich in depth on the defensive line, Qualls hasn’t had too much opportunity to get himself some decent playing time. In the 2017 season, he only played in a total of six games. One of those being the useless Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Fortunately for him, those games typically become a showcase for players that are lower on the depth chart. He managed to come up with three tackles that day.
Qualls could get himself some more playing time in year two depending on how the offseason goes. Backup tackle, Beau Allen just finished out his contract year and will most likely be hitting the free agency market if the Eagles do not give him an offer to re-sign. The expectations aren’t super high for Qualls, but it will be interesting to see if he can become a solid contributor as a depth player.