Philadelphia Eagles ignore 5 better players for lesser third-round talent

Well, if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you had to know the bad decisions were coming. Round 3 brings a head-scratching decision if you self-identify as someone that loves the Birds.

Philly traded back from the 70th-overall selection to the 73rd. They picked up another sixth-rounder in the process. There’s no real shame in that. Unfortunately, the pick at 73 was a disappointing one.

General manager Howie Roseman and Eagles chairman and CEO turned the draft card in, and the name on it belonged to Milton Williams, a defensive tackle from the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

This is a head-scratcher for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Oh, Williams can play. No one’s saying that he can’t. In 25 career games, he tallied 108 total tackles and 10.5 sacks.

The problem is there were more talented players available, including linebacker Jabril Cox from the LSU Tigers, defensive end Ronnie Perkins from the Oklahoma Sooners, tight end Hunter Long from Boston College, and a very good slot cornerback, Elijah Molden from the Washington Huskies.

If you need a comparison, Cox is a good off-ball linebacker that can play the run and the pass. Hunter Long catches everything thrown at him. Perkins didn’t produce the stat line the Williams produced, but he was very effective versus better competition than Williams faced.

All four guys that Philly passed on fill an immediate need for the Philadelphia Eagles, as does Williams, but Williams should be graded lower than everyone mentioned.

Oh, and here’s something else to ponder. For the second draft in a row, the Minnesota Vikings make a better decision after Philly screws one up. A year ago, they took Justin Jefferson one pick after the Eagles landed Jalen Reagor, In 2020, they take Milton Williams at 73. Chazz Surratt heads to the Vikes five picks later at 78.

Mark these words. That will be a talking point at some point during the 2021 regular season.