10 biggest first-round draft busts in Philadelphia Eagles history
9. player. 54. . . . Jon Harris, defensive end
The Philadelphia Eagles swung and missed on several defensive ends over the years.
When you think about the Philadelphia Eagles and the defensive end position, there are so many legends that come to mind: Reggie White, Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett for instance (we’re teasing about that last one of course). They’ve also had a few blunders that they’ve had to move on from. Guys like Jon Harris come to mind.
Harris’ name will never be mentioned in the same sentence as Trent Cole’s unless we’re comparing opposites. For that, Jon Harris has no one that he can blame other than Jon Harris.
He looked the part. He was six-foot-seven and 300 pounds. The Birds made him the 25th-overall selection of 1997’s NFL Draft after a collegiate career with the Virginia Cavaliers. He appeared in a total of 24 games with eight starts and tallied two sacks before being released.
He wound up on three more NFL rosters between 1999 and 2001 (the Cleveland Browns, the Green Bay Packers, and Oakland Raiders) before a short stint in NFL Europe with the Berlin Thunder would put a bow on a very forgettable career.
The worst part about Harris’ tenure with the Eagles might be the following. By drafting him, they passed on guys like Trevor Pryce, Corey Dillon, Sam Madison, Darren Sharper, and Dexter Coakley. You can’t make this stuff up.