Philadelphia Eagles draft: 4 Prospects to avoid with 12th selection

The Philadelphia Eagles should avoid both of Miami’s pass rushers.

As previously mentioned, the Eagles love to stack the trenches on both sides of the football. First-round selections Derek Barnett and Marcus Smith can attest to this fact. Still, as important as it is to build from the inside out, the edge rushers in this draft don’t warrant an Eagles first-round selection.

Former Miami teammates Jaelan Phillips and Gregory Rousseau are some of the most interesting prospects in this draft. Both of them are incredible athletes, but they have some concerns that will cause some teams to avoid drafting them in the first round.

We’ll start with Phillips. It’s tough to find an injury that he hasn’t had. At UCLA, he suffered a severe wrist injury, sprains on both ankles, and three concussions. He was forced to medically retire from football following these injuries.

He later enrolled at Miami and, after sitting for the 2019 season, had a terrific 2020 campaign. His blend of size, length, and speed was on full display in the ACC, but it’s still tough to justify an Eagles first-round selection on Phillips. His injury history is too concerning.

Gregory Rousseau doesn’t have injury concerns, but he is an extremely raw prospect. Due to his decision to opt out of the 2020 season, he only has one real year of experience at the defensive end position. Sure, his six-foot-seven frame and freak athleticism is tempting, but he’s a project at the next level.

The Philadelphia Eagles don’t have a pressing need at the defensive end position. A first-round selection on the trenches would not be a wise decision, and as mentioned earlier, rolling the dice on Darrisaw and Farley is also unwise.