1 Final Eagles draft question after Howie Roseman adds speed, athleticism

Howie Roseman and the Eagles have found some young players that satisfy their need for speed and athleticism, but the question is can they play?

Vice president and general manager Howie Roseman and his Philadelphia Eagles‘ pursuit of youth, speed, and athleticism is a topic that has dominated many football conversations during the offseason.  the off-season. During his and Doug Pederson’s season-ending press conference on January 8th, Roseman referenced the closing weeks of 2019 and the young players that were called upon to contribute.

The goal heading into the offseason and 2020’s NFL Draft was to find young difference-makers that could contribute to the team’s success.

Here’s a quote from the presser back in January.

"It’s a great lesson. You have to let young players play. It’s natural for us to want to have a safety net at every position. We have to allow these young players to play and get some experience. Just the energy they injected into the team and obviously the production that they had. We have to balance that."

Roseman has repeated the words “speed” and “youth” several times over the past four months. It would appear that this governing philosophy guided the team’s personnel selections in free agency, the draft, and most recently in undrafted free agent acquisitions. Now that the Eagles have the speed and youth infusion, the central question is now front and center. Can any of these Eagles rookies pay dividends at the NFL level?

The Eagles certainly need for these draft picks to pan out. Philly moved on from some older and slower veterans in the hope that speed, quickness, and versatility will promote an explosive, play-making product.

In all three phases, offense, defense, and special teams, the thought process and actions appear to rely on positionless, hybrid athletes. To balance out the salary structure and remain within cap parameters, having a larger pool of backups and special-teams players on cap-friendly rookie deals is vital.

The Eagles seemingly addressed the dire need of adding offensive playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position. Speed, youth, and athleticism at the position are essential to getting separation and increasing the amount of “yards after catch” (YAC) this team sees on offense.

When is the last time an Eagles receiver, not named DeSean Jackson won on a double move? How often last season did you see an Eagles receiver streak past a defender or run for more than five yards after initial contact?

Bold personnel additions this past weekend didn’t come to pass without controversy. If many fans weren’t up in arms with first-rounder Jalen Reager’s selection, they jumped out of their chairs with the resounding negativity that came from hearing Jalen Hurts’ name called in the second round.

Roseman and his scouting department spent the weekend on the hot seat, and now that the Eagles roster has transformed, it is up to Doug Peterson and Jim Schwartz to construct optimal offensive and defensive schemes that allow these young potential Eagles stars to make plays. We’ll have to wait to see if that’s indeed what happens