Remember the last time Eagles fans wanted a Texas RB in Round 1?
How’s this for a story? A star tailback cuts his collegiate teeth at Texas with the Longhorns. He enters the NFL Draft as one of its top prospects. The Philadelphia Eagles are named as a possible landing spot seeing as how they have an obvious need for one. Sound interesting? Here’s the kicker. That’s only half of the story.
Our star of this tale enters the selection meeting and is called a generational talent and one of the top prospects at his position. The fans and some of the media that are enamored with his talent buy in. The hype train adds passengers at every stop, leading to a split in the fan base. That’s the type of drama that only the NFL Draft and knowing that your team has a top-ten draft choice can bring.
What’s that? Bijan Robinson? No… No… We’re talking about Ricky Williams. Let’s rewind the tape to 1999.
The last time Eagles fans were this stir-crazy about a Texas running back, Philly went in another direction, and they made the right choice by doing so.
Picture it. A new day had come in the City of Brotherly Love. Things didn’t work out too well for Ray Rhodes’ Eagles in 1998. A 3-13 win-loss total led to his dismissal and the hiring of Andy Reid.
Big Red rode into town in his 1928 restored Model A Ford. How fitting… He was being asked to restore hope in what had become a broken-down franchise.
Philly owned the second-overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. The City of Brotherly Love had fallen in love with Texas Longhorns tailback and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. The mayor, Ed Rendell, had even given out the phone number to Eagles headquarters in hopes that fans would call and urge the Birds to take Ricky second overall.
No… For real… We can’t make this stuff up.
Maybe you aren’t old enough to remember any of this. Maybe your mothers and fathers or grandfathers and grandmothers have told you this story. Maybe this is your first time hearing it, but most of you know how things worked out.
Reid drafted Donovan McNabb second overall. Mike Ditka, then-head coach of the Saints, traded all of New Orleans’ remaining draft choices in the 1999 draft as well as first and third-round selections in 2000 to trade up to the fifth-overall spot to take Ricky. We all know how those decisions worked out as well.
Okay, so Bijan Robinson’s story has nothing to do with Ricky Williams, but you have to admit that this is interesting.
We know what you’re thinking. The circumstances surrounding the Eagles and the current Texas star, Bijan Robinson, have little to do with what we witnessed with the hype that surrounded Ricky Williams almost a quarter of a century ago.
Sure, this is the same Eagles franchise. Jeffrey Lurie is still the owner and CEO, but Bijan can’t be compared to Ricky, right? Well, hold on for a second or two. Let’s think about that for a few ticks.
Both played at Texas. Ricky was seen as the best tailback in the 1999 class. Many view Bijan the same way in the current class though some value Jahmyr Gibbs higher, but here’s another similarity worth subscribing to.
Even though much of the fan base is in an uproar, the Eagles figure to do the same thing they did as the turn of the century approached. Rather than take a tailback, expect them to pursue other areas of need.
Andy Reid hitched his wagon to a young man who played another position of need, quarterback. Philly doesn’t need an offensive signal-caller, but they figure to go in another direction and resist the temptation to select a running back with a top-ten selection as well.
Vice president/general manager Howie Roseman doesn’t value the running back position as much as he values other positions. With that being said, it may be a better bet to place your money on the selection of an offensive or defensive lineman.
Bijan Robinson is uber-talented. So was Ricky Williams, but let’s put this rumor out to pasture. Philly isn’t going with a tailback at pick ten.
