Philadelphia Eagles: 2019 NFL Draft Class midseason grades
Clayton Thorson, QB
Round 5, Pick 167
The Northwestern quarterback entered the NFL draft as his school’s top passer through four years. For Northwestern standards, that’s fine and dandy. For NFL standards, that production means nothing. From the gate, the Clayton Thorson pick didn’t make sense for the Eagles.
That’s not to say we didn’t expect a quarterback — because the front office made it known they were going to select and develop a passer. The actual selection itself was just puzzling, though. Thorson would’ve more than likely fell below the fifth round, but the Eagles drafted based on their need for a third-string quarterback.
How did that work out for them? Not good, obviously. After an ugly preseason, Thorson was cut by the Eagles. Many assumed he would be back on the practice squad, but the Eagles didn’t even do that. Instead, Thorson ended up signing on the Cowboys’ practice squad. Typically, the Eagles front office wouldn’t admit they were wrong like that, but they had no choice but to take that loss.