Eagles’ rookie Andre Dillard receives rave reviews from experts
The Philadelphia Eagles got excellent value in drafting former Washington State offensive tackle, Andre Dillard.
By now, everybody has become quite familiar with former Washington State offensive tackle, Andre Dillard. The moment that the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to get him, everybody began scrambling for answers in an attempt to find out exactly who he is. The Eagles didn’t grab the most popular guy on the board, but they snagged a lineman who wasn’t expected to be anywhere around the 20s range, hence the reason why many were confused about the pick.
A similar situation happened two years ago when the Eagles had the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Many expected a linebacker, running back, or maybe even a receiver and instead they got a defensive end in Derek Barnett. At that time, not too many fans were aware of who exactly Barnett was, and that was primarily because Barnett was never supposed to drop to 14. This time, the Eagles got a lineman in Dillard who wasn’t expected to drop to 22.
Eagles’ General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations, Howie Roseman met with the media after the pick to make it known that Dillard was a top-ten prospect on their board. Once they realized he got to 22, and the Houston Texans were up next, Roseman didn’t want to make Dillard the one who got away. So they got aggressive and forced their way up three spots to make the selection. And now the Eagles are getting rave reviews from O-Line experts.
Wade Smith makes a bold prediction
Oh yeah, the fact the Andre Dillard is going to Philly to learn from that Oline group already in place is as about a good of a situation that any guy of his caliber could go to. #FutureAllPro
— Wade Smith (@Smitty74allday) April 26, 2019
Former veteran offensive tackle Wade Smith took to Twitter to evaluate most picks regarding offensive linemen on Thursday night. So once Dillard’s name popped up courtesy of the Eagles, the former lineman immediately came through with an opinion on the rookie prospect.
As he stated above, Smith believes that Dillard is entering an easier situation than most first-round linemen would. Instead of getting thrown right into the fire, Dillard will come to Philly and learn from a future Hall of Famer, and one of the best tackles in the game. Then, Smith decided to leave on a note that can get everybody excited – he sees Dillard as a surefire future All-Pro.
Baldy comes through with a breakdown
.@eagles jump 3 spots to take my favorite OT in the draft @AndreDillard_ . When he came to Wasu he was 240lbs and 5 years later he is the future at LT for the Birds. Go buy @cj_wentz a hoagie and join the club. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/vKFrpwqBIB
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 26, 2019
Former NFL lineman Brian Baldinger is one of the best minds in the analysis game when it comes to the trenches. And when Baldy has a favorite, you better believe that he’s the real deal. Fortunately, the Eagles grabbed a guy who just so happens to be not ‘one’ of Baldinger’s favorite – he IS Baldinger’s favorite tackle in the draft. Again, the Eagles truly loved what Dillard brought to the table, and getting him in the 20s before Thursday night seemed like a pipe dream.
dark. Next. Carson Wentz, Lane Johnson react to Dillard selection
Also, for what it’s worth – former Cleveland Browns’ tackle Joe Thomas had some quite generous things to say about Dillard as well. In the words of Browns Wire writer Jeff Risdon, “Thomas glowed while talking about Dillard.” So if three former linemen and the teams’ General Manager have nothing but rave reviews for the guy, you know he must be something special.