Top 15 draft picks taken in Philadelphia Eagles history
. . Pete Pihos (1945). 5. player. 54.
There’s no denying Pete Pihos was one of the most talented Philadelphia Eagles ever.
There isn’t an assignment on the football field that Pete Pihos couldn’t or wouldn’t master if you gave it to him. If you needed him to go out and catch 63 passes, rack up 1,049 yards, and get into the end zone ten times, then, he could do that (1953). If you wanted him to play on defense and get you an interception (or two), he could do that (1951).
Not too shabby for a fifth-round draft choice, right?
Philly knew that so they drafted him in 1945 knowing full well he’d still be playing college ball for the Indiana Hoosiers during the 1945 and 1946 college football seasons.
Once he finally turned pro, in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, he caught 23 passes for 382 yards, and he reached the end zone seven times. He also played on special teams. His rookie season was also highlighted by a blocked punt off of the foot of Washington’s Sammy Baugh. Pete returned that one 26 yards for a touchdown.
Heck, the Birds could use a guy like this one on their roster now!
Philadelphia found their way into the NFL Championship Game in each of Pihos’s first three seasons. In 1947, they captured their first division title. In 1948 and 1949, the Eagles would win it all.
Pete Pihos was a football player in every sense of the word. The Eagles’ story can’t be told without his mention. If his name isn’t on this list or one just like it, said list needs to be thrown out entirely.