PFF Lists Three of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Top Needs going into the Draft
With the 2019 NFL Draft inching closer, PFF listed the Philadelphia Eagles’ top three needs as we head into April.
It feels like yesterday the Philadelphia Eagles were kicking off the 2018 NFL Season as the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Now, we are a few weeks away from the 2019 NFL Draft. It’s crazy how quickly time flies. Before we know it, the 2019 NFL regular season will be here, and the Eagles will be back on their journey to the Super Bowl.
Hopefully, they have good things coming their way this year. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we have to get through the team-building process of the offseason. Free Agency opened up a couple of weeks ago, and as expected, the Eagles made a couple of notable moves. Now that everything slowed down a bit, it seems as though the Philly front office has shifted their attention to the draft.
As the Eagles are looking to add seven new rookies this year, they are approaching a crucial offseason. Tons of debates are going around about the Eagles’ top-needs. Many believe that a running back comes first on the list but won’t realize what they are missing on defense as well. Recently, Pro Football Focus did some research and put together a top three needs list regarding every NFL team. Let’s analyze the three position selections for the Eagles.
What are the Eagles Top Needs?
"“The loss of Jordan Hicks hurts their linebacking corps, as he was well above average in coverage and after Hicks, Nigel Bradham was the team’s highest-graded linebacker at 67.5. Even with the return of Bradham and Ronald Darby at cornerback, every Philadelphia fan saw what happened a season ago when injuries depleted an already-thin unit at cornerback. Coverage is the most important facet in the NFL for a defense and getting players who can contribute in key passing downs at both linebacker and cornerback should be priority No. 1 for the Eagles.”"
1. Linebacker
It’s hard to argue this one here. The Eagles lost their starting middle linebacker of the last few seasons as Jordan Hicks joined the Arizona Cardinals. It was a tough loss for sure, but Hicks’ inability to stay healthy throughout his time here was a major reason why the Eagles felt comfortable letting him walk. Grabbing a linebacker high up would be ideal for the Eagles, so it’s hard to argue this point by PFF.
However, the Eagles have made it evident that they treat the linebacker position just like they treat the running back position. It’s expendable. They like to utilize low-risk, special teams type of players while giving Nigel Bradham a more significant role. Whether that’s the correct key to success or not in the NFL, the Birds feel more than confident in making that their strategy.
2. Cornerback
For some reason, this has been a widespread need for the Eagles this offseason. As mock drafts flood the internet, a majority of them have the Eagles taking a cornerback as early as the first round. Personally, I cannot stress enough how much the Eagles need to focus on developing the guys that they have rather than replacing them.
Bringing Ronald Darby back was already a bit of a puzzling move by the Eagles, but with that, they now have at least six cornerbacks on board who have played a starting role at some point in 2018. It’s unfortunate that injuries caused so many changes to happen, but is the entire secondary going to get injured every offseason? I doubt it. With Darby being the only cornerback who’s not still on his rookie contract, it doesn’t make much sense for the Eagles to snag another one. I’d put safety above cornerback as a need for now.
3. Running Back
The popular pick. Yes, the Eagles need a running back. Corey Clement believed last season that the Eagles were fine with Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams and himself on board, but we all saw how much a lack of a run game killed the Eagles offense. They weren’t the same in 2018. Not with Carson Wentz, and not with Nick Foles. No run game means one dimensional. One dimensional means predictable. And predictable means struggling to put up points, which eventually causes losses.
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Don’t be disapointed when the Eagles neglect the running back position for the first couple of rounds. They will get a player this year via the draft, but all of the value is in the fourth and fifth rounds. Nowadays, if you aren’t getting a guaranteed top-tier talent in the backfield, then spending a first pick on a running back isn’t worth it. But if you remain pateinet, and snag a mid-round back, there’s a chance that they can be a pleasant surprise later on.