Eagles stock report: Grading remaining members of the 2020 draft class

Who would have thunk? Once upon a time, the 2020 NFL Draft to be exact, Philadelphia Eagles vice president/general manager Howie Roseman selected Jalen Hurts in Round 2 with the 53rd-overall selection even though he had inked Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension with $107 million guaranteed on June 6th of 2019.

Let’s put it this way. The reaction to that decision by the fans and several members of the Philly and National media was less than favorable. A little over three years later, that has proven to be one of the smarter moves of Howie’s recent tenure in his current position as Eagles G.M.

Perhaps we weren’t ready for the possibility of having to acknowledge that Roseman was right and we were wrong. Despite winning with Hurts, 2020’s selection meeting wasn’t Howie’s best work. Ten players were drafted. Three aren’t on the team anymore, and while Philly got a steal in Quez Watkins, a sixth-rounder, the jury is still out on what should be expected long-term from Jack Driscoll and K’Von Wallace.

Let’s take a few moments and revisit all ten selections.

Final grades for the Eagles 2020 draft class

Jalen Reagor is now with the Minnesota Vikings. John Hightower is on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. Casy Toohill plays for the Washington Commanders, and Prince Tega Wanogho is out west playing for Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs.

That isn’t quite how anyone imagined that would work out when they were added to the Eagles’ nest almost two and a half years ago, but as you know, the NFL Draft has long been a crap shoot. Let’s talk about the guys that are still here.

Jalen Hurts, quarterback: Round 2, pick 53

He’s our beloved signal-caller that’s never totally satisfied, and strangely, that’s why we love him. After getting to know Jalen Hurts over the past three seasons, we’re convinced that he won’t give himself an A, but we’ll give him one here.

He’s ahead of schedule in terms of his development, and so far in 2022, those daily rent payments have all come in on time. Final grade: A

Davion Taylor, linebacker: Round 3, pick 103

Most knew little of Davion Taylor when the Eagles took him in the third round, outside of the fact that he was fast and didn’t play football until much later than he probably should have started.

He looked lost as a rookie. Then, he improved in year two, before he got injured and wound up on the injured reserve of course. Now, he’s on the practice squad.

Decisions have to be made on T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White during the 2023 offseason, but one thing is certain. Davion Taylor isn’t going to become a long-term answer, and that’s what you’re looking for when taking someone in the third round. Final grade: F

K’Von Wallace, safety: Round 4, pick 127

When the Eagles added K’Von Wallace, there was hope he could be moved around the defensive formation much like the Clemson Tigers used him during his days in the ACC. As was the case with Taylor, there was some boom-or-bust potential, but even though Wallace has been slightly more productive, it’s hard to imagine he’s going to wind up being much better than he is now. Final grade: C- approaching a D

Jack Driscoll, tackle/guard: Round 4, pick 145

Whenever the draft reaches its third day and stretches into Round 4, teams are often crossing their fingers and hoping the guys that they are landing turn out to be serviceable. The Eagles struck out to some extent with K’Von Wallace. They hit a home run of sorts with Jack Driscoll.

The six-foot-five, 325-pound guard/tackle hybrid saw each of his first two seasons end with trips to the injured reserve, but whenever he’s been healthy and been on the field, he’s proven that, while he may not be the strongest of offensive linemen, he can still play and play at a high level in this league.

Don’t give up on him yet. This is a good football player. He gets bonus points for being a fourth-rounder. Final grade: B-

Shaun Bradley, linebacker: Round 6, pick 196

Honestly, it’s easy to forget that Shaun Bradley is on the team sometimes, but we haven’t given up hope yet. A special teams warrior, the hope here is that he can still be a late-bloomer. He may be running out of time to prove that he is. Oh well… At least he’s still on the active roster. Final grade: C

Quez Watkins, wide receiver: Round 6, pick 200

Quez Watkins was taken four spots after the Eagles took John Hightower. The latter became a much better player than the former.

Howie Roseman missed badly by taking Jalen Reagor. It’s hard to ignore that he also added an immensely talented wideout 189 picks later, one that’s currently the third-best wideout on the Eagles roster. Final grade: A