Best Philadelphia Eagles third-day draft steals dating from 2002-2021

You can’t talk about the Eagles of the latter half of the 2010s without mentioning these two.

These days, it’s almost impossible to believe that the words ‘character concerns’ were ever attached to Jalen Mills, but it’s true. Given second-round grades by a few draft pundits, the man formerly known as ‘The Green Goblin’ slid all the way to Round 7. It was there that the Birds selected him with the 233rd-overall selection.

Mills played with a chip on his shoulder and lifted the spirits of his teammates whenever he was on the field with them. It isn’t often that seventh-rounders become dependable starters, but Mills contributed mightily to a Super Bowl run and in total, added 300 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, five interceptions, 45 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown to the Eagles cause from 2016 to 2020. Those numbers include four playoff starts.

Placing Josh Sweat this high on this list this early in his career might be deemed as a controversial decision, but so what? We’re talking about the best players the Birds got in Round 4 or later, and Sweat definitely qualifies.

You can see the talent already. Remember, Philly paid him before they paid Derek Barnett. If he stays healthy, he’s going to get better and better. We don’t have to wait for four more seasons to pass to see how talented he is.