Inside the Iggles
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Grading the Philadelphia Eagles 2019 NFL Draft Picks

By Justin Grasso

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 18: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal is tackled by Ashtyn Davis #27 of the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 18: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal is tackled by Ashtyn Davis #27 of the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Miles Sanders #24 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes the football against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Miles Sanders #24 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes the football against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Miles Sanders, RB

Round 2, Pick 53

Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles added a running back through the NFL Draft within the first two rounds. As you may know already, the last time the Eagles selected a running back this high was with LeSean McCoy ten years ago. Funny enough, it was with the same pick. Similar to Shareef Miller, Sanders is a Pennsylvania kid, who attended Penn State. Miles Sanders isn’t from Philly, but he was born and raised in Pittsburgh.

Before the NFL Combine and Pro Days, Sanders was viewed as a third-to-fourth round prospect. After his impressive Pro Day, he shot up on draft boards and found himself as a second-rounder. The Eagles made that happen by grabbing him just outside of the top 50 players.

While Sanders gets comparisons to Saquon Barkley since he comes from under his shadows, it’s going to be essential to understand he is no Saquon. There are similarities in their game, but sometimes Sanders tries to do a little bit too much for himself, and it hurts his production.

I genuinely like this pick. However, I’m not sure that I love it. This draft wasn’t stacked with star running backs galore like the last few, hence why only one of them was selected in the first round. Maybe the Eagles could’ve gotten better value later on down the line, but when you know a player is the one, you have to just do what you have to do and select them.

A small sample size from Sanders is what is concerning the most since he only started one year. At the same time though, if he truly is the real deal, his lack of opportunities in college could give him more life in the NFL as he has less tread and wear and tear on his body. Sanders should be a day one contributor to the Eagles – hopefully, he just lives up to the hype that he’s garnered recently.

Grade: B

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