4 Philadelphia Eagles rookies that we can already call busts
Howie Roseman has officially screwed up yet another Philadelphia Eagles draft.
Those of you who are Philadelphia Eagles and a little younger may not know who Ryan Leaf is. Those of you that do remember Mr. Leaf only know him for bad reasons. No, he never played for the Birds. He was never even on their radar, but he’s the poster child for how bad things can go for a team during an NFL Draft.
Believe it or not, once upon a time, in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the 1998 selection meeting, there was a debate going on, and here’s what it was. People were actually discussing whether or not the Indianapolis Colts should select Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf with the first-overall selection to be their quarterback of the future.
To Indy’s credit, they got it right. They took Manning. He’ll be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer come 2021. Leaf, on the other hand, threw for 3,666 yards, had a career quarterback rating of 50, and threw only 14 touchdowns versus 36 interceptions. Heck, there are a few of us that could have done that in a five-game stretch on Madden.
What does this have to do with the Eagles you ask? Oh, it’s quite simple. Philly has had their share of misses too. That’s especially been true during the Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson era. Since 2016, there have been five drafts. Philly has taken a total of 36 players in those drafts.
Of the eight players taken in 2017, only one is still on the team (Derek Barnett). Then, there’s this. Only one of those 36 players has earned a spot on a Pro Bowl roster. That was Carson Wentz, way back in 2017. Oh, you’re frustrated? Don’t worry you’re not alone.
2020 was supposed to be the year they got it right. They didn’t. As a matter of fact, this class is like the one in 2017. They could turn out to be one of the most disappointing in franchise history. Here are four Birds that we can already call busts. No, Jalen Reagor isn’t on the list. He may not be Justin Jefferson, but he still has a chance to be a star in the NFL (at least we all hope so).