Inside the Iggles
FanSided

5 Philadelphia Eagles NFL Draft do-overs from Doug Pederson’s era

By Geoffrey Knox

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Rasul Douglas #32 and Sidney Jones #22 of the Philadelphia Eagles look on prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Rasul Douglas #32 and Sidney Jones #22 of the Philadelphia Eagles look on prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Donnel Pumphrey (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Donnel Pumphrey (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. The Donnel Pumphrey experiment yields negative results.

On the surface, it would seem as though landing the all-time leader in rushing yards in NCAA Division I FBS history in Round 4 of any draft would be a coup. Then again, if a man enters a draft with those types of credentials and he’s still available in Round 4, something is wrong.

We know Donnel Pumphrey was void of any character concerns, so that wasn’t the reason. We know Donnel Pumphrey is still playing football, albeit for the XFL’s DC Defenders, so we know that there’s some ability there.

Here’s the thing. Pumphrey is one of the poster children for pre-draft evaluation and an example of why parents and fans should pump the breaks slightly whenever these high school prospects continually run for 80 yards on a reverse. Stats are nice, but the level of competition that a prospect sees is equally as important.

Donnel Pumphrey didn’t see the great defenses of the SEC in his time with the San Diego State Aztecs. Otherwise, the results might have been a tad different. He’s also five-foot-eight and 176 pounds, so he may not have been able to run over the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide if he wanted to.

“Pump” never carried the football in an NFL game for Philly, and here’s what’s worse. The Eagles passed on more accomplished runners like Wayne Gallman, Marlon Mack, and Aaron Jones. Oh and get this. George Kittle was still available as well.

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