Inside the Iggles
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2 Positions Eagles may need to draft before addressing wide receiver

By Geoffrey Knox

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 16: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers runs with the ball during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 16: Justin Jefferson #2 of the LSU Tigers runs with the ball during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

2. Let’s take a closer look at this pass rush.

If you haven’t noticed, the Eagles haven’t done enough to shore up that defensive end position. Here’s what we know. Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham are the starters. Josh Sweat has shown that he can be serviceable, but the jury is out on whether or not he’s an every-down player or a situational pass rusher.

We were told that the trade for Genard Avery last season was done with 2020 in mind, not 2019. Then, there’s Shareef Miller. Philly drafted him in the fourth round of 2019’s draft. He has yet to register a tackle, but the Eagles’ brass and coaches seem to believe in him even if some of the fans and media do not.

Here’s what many need to realize. There’s a chance Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham won’t be back in 2021. Philly needs to retool the position some, and if they aren’t going to experiment with moving Malik Jackson to the outside or trade for Yannick Ngakoue, drafting a defensive end may be the best theory for pick 21.

After Chase Young, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Yetur Gross-Matos the conversations about every other pass rusher lead us all to the same conclusion. The defensive end position isn’t as deep as the wide receiver position in this draft class, and it may behoove the “Birds” to go with a guy like Gross-Matos if he’s still on boards when Philly makes their first-round selection.

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