5 Worst Philadelphia Eagles rookie seasons from 2010-2019

Add Marcus Smith’s name to a long list of unforgivable errors made by the Eagles during the  Chip Kelly era.

In the 2014 NFL Draft, there were a lot of experts, scouts, and pundits that predicted University of Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith would hear his name called somewhere between the second and third rounds. Philly went against the grain of scouting and common sense and drafted Smith in the first round, using the 26th overall selection that year to do so.

Looking back, no one should be shocked. Unexplainable roster errors like these were a staple of the Chip Kelly era. That begs the question, however.

If the Eagles really valued the former Cardinal, it seemingly would have made more sense if Philly would have given him more time on the field. Smith only played eight games of the team’s 16 games during his rookie season, and he didn’t have the best showing. One quarterback hit was the extent of his stat line. That’s right. He didn’t register a single tackle or sack. This after he collected 14.5 sacks at Louisville during his senior season.

Smith looked outmatched and confused more often than not during his rookie season. As it turned out, the third-day projections were probably justified as he should have been treated as more of a plug-and-play guy than someone who should have played immediately.

Smith was on the Philadelphia Eagles roster for three seasons. He tallied four sacks and 23 tackles in 37 career games, and Philly waived him on July 26th of 2017. His career would end after brief stints in Washington and Seattle.