Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Are tight ends in their discussion?

Can you imagine what the headlines would look like if the Philadelphia Eagles took at tight end at six? It wouldn’t be pretty! You can bet the farm on that! Think about what happened when the Birds took Donovan McNabb over Ricky Williams. That’s probably the response you’d get from this fan base and the Philly media if, on draft day, the Birds went with a tight end.

The only thing that would be worse is if they took a quarterback in Round 2 when they already had one or if they took, say, JJ Arcega-Whiteside over DK Metcalf or Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson. No wait, they did do that.

Let this sink in if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Did you notice something? Did you see how you felt when you were reminded of Philly’s recent draft decisions? Can you see why everyone is hell-bent on seeing this team do something right for a change?

Now, think about that Donovan McNabb selection again. The way fans feel now is identical to how they felt when the Philadelphia Eagles took 5 over Ricky. We just weren’t prepared for the organization to be right and for the rest of us to be wrong. To be frank, many of us still feel like, if there’s anyone that can screw this up, it’s Howie Roseman and the Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles wouldn’t take a tight end, would they?

The 2021 NFL Draft is at the end of April. By now, most fans have planted a flag. They want a stud wide receiver, they want a cornerback, and some are even now buying into the idea of taking the best quarterback available (if they aren’t saying trade back and acquire more picks).

The truth is none of us know what they will do, but here’s where we might be able to agree. Most of us aren’t looking for a tight end. One NFL Draft wiz likes the idea though.

Recently, NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah dropped another 2021 mock draft. Three quarterbacks are taken in the first five picks, but here’s where it gets really interesting. With guys like Micah Parsons, Trey Lance, Patrick Surtain II, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith available, he has the Birds taking a tight end. Philly gets Kyle Pitts of the Florida Gators. Here’s what Jeremiah says his thought process was.

"I don’t envision Zach Ertz being on the Eagles’ roster for the 2021 season, however, Philadelphia still ensures its QB1, whomever that ends up being, has an outstanding duo at tight end in Pitts and Dallas Goedert."

While he’s probably right about Zach Ertz, here’s where things get shaky in his theory. If things work out as he states and Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields are already off of the board, who else is Philly going with at quarterback other than Hurts if they don’t take Trey Lance either?

Is Pitts talented? He most certainly is! Is he the guy for Philly at six though? That statement probably won’t fly with most Birds enthusiasts. Here’s somewhere else where we all can agree though.

If this team can’t find weapons for Hurts or any other quarterback that they may bring in, or coach up the offensive skill guys that they already have, and/or find some guys to play on the offensive line, this team’s starting quarterback won’t be successful.

So, with that being said, it’s hard not to disagree with Mr. Jeremiah. Pitts would be a wonderful replacement for Ertz. He actually breaks a few tackles while, as most of you know, Ertz tends to go down on first contact, but Philly can’t reach on a tight end at six. The sixth selection in the NFL Draft has to be used on someone at another position of need for this franchise. As stated earlier, we’ll all be arguing about what that position is for about two more months.