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Philadelphia Eagles: Who was the best first-round pick of this decade?

By Justin Grasso

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox #91 and quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles run onto the field before taking on the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox #91 and quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles run onto the field before taking on the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 03: Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles dances in front of Ty Nsekhe #79 of the Washington Redskins after sacking Mark Sanchez #6 (not pictured) in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 28-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 03: Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles dances in front of Ty Nsekhe #79 of the Washington Redskins after sacking Mark Sanchez #6 (not pictured) in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 28-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

What about some honorable mentions?

Just because Wentz wins the crown here, doesn’t mean there aren’t any other candidates. The Eagles’ first-round selections have been bad at times, but many people forget just how good some of them have been as well. Aside from a few busts, the Eagles still have some guys who continue to contribute to the team’s current success, and probably will continue to do so beyond 2019.

Brandon Graham, DE (selected in 2010)

Eagles fans had a love-hate relationship with Brandon Graham before the 2017 season. It took a while for Graham to find his groove on the Eagles, but eventually, he did. While Graham isn’t a sack-master for the Birds, he does tend to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback and is consistently disruptive when healthy. Not to mention, he’s the Super Bowl hero.

Fletcher Cox, DT (selected in 2012)

Fletcher Cox might not be the best defensive tackle in football right now. But he’s undeniably the second best. And guess what? He’s not that far off from first. We could go as far as saying Cox is the best player on the Eagles. Unfortunately, the stock of his position doesn’t add up to the quarterback. But if it did, Cox would probably take the cake in this debate.

Lane Johnson, RT (selected in 2013)

Similar to Cox, Lane Johnson is arguably top three at his position. On the offense, Lane Johnson might quietly be the best player. Sure, he’s had some issues with staying on the field early on in his career because of suspension trouble, but over the last couple of years, Johnson has remained available. Had it not been for those few years of suspensions, we would probably view Lane Johnson in a much different light as his significance would be a lot higher.

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