Philadelphia Eagles Draft: Carson Wentz, Lane Johnson react to Andre Dillard selection

The Philadelphia Eagles brought in Andre Dillard through the draft, and a few veterans took to Twitter to welcome him.

We were a couple of hours into the night. The 2019 NFL Draft was well underway, and the Philadelphia Eagles were waiting patiently for the 25th pick to come up. Since there were a few reaches as always, many players who were expected to get picked early, ended up falling. And once the Eagles realized they could get their hands on one of their top guys, they felt the need to trade up and beat anybody else to it — specifically, the Houston Texans.

With the Texans picking at No. 23, the Eagles needed to jump them in order to get their top tackle on the board. So with the cost of a first-round swap, a fourth-rounder, and a sixth-rounder, the Eagles moved up three spots and took Washington State offensive lineman, Andre Dillard. According to Howie Roseman, Dillard was a top-ten overall player on the Eagles’ board.

The Philly fan base, as always, had a mixed reaction. Some wanted the Eagles to make a ‘sexier’ pick by grabbing a wideout or a running back. Others wanted them to grab another tackle or a possibly a guard. But for the Eagles, they saw an opportunity to grab one of the top guys on their board, and as long as the front office and the players already on the team are happy, that’s all that matters. And you know Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz was quick to hit Twitter with a reaction.

Carson Wentz Reacts to his new protection:

The Eagles’ franchise quarterback is typically the first player to welcome new guys to Eagles. Whether its a new veteran out of free agency or a new rookie coming to town, Wentz is always in the mix and ready to greet them. He should be especially happy with this pick because, after 2019, Jason Peters will no longer be Wentz’s bodyguard. And looking at Andre Dillard’s skillset, he’s excellent in pass protection. He could be the guy keeping Wentz untouched for a long time.

Lane Johnson welcomes his new teammate

Dillard won’t start right away. But when he does, he will be on the opposite end of Lane Johnson. He couldn’t be coming into a better situation. Dillard gets to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Jason Peters. And he also gets to learn and gain experience and knowledge from Johnson, who is one of the best offensive tackles in the game right now. Judging by Lane’s tweet, it sounds like Dillard is looking towards a hectic and hardworking offseason.

A few others had some things to say