4 legendary Eagles running backs Philadelphia selected after round one

The Eagles know better than anyone that long-term answers at running back can be found following the NFL Draft’s first round.

Fans in the City of Brotherly Love are split. Some want the Philadelphia Eagles to draft former Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson in the first round of the NFL Draft. Others oppose the idea, but history suggests that won’t happen.

In 1983, Philly selected Michael Haddix with the eighth overall pick. Three years later, they took Keith Byars in Round 1. He was a fantastic choice, but they haven’t drafted a first-round running back since then.

The Birds haven’t taken any tailback higher than the 53rd selection during any draft that has followed. Believe it or not, they did that twice.

Miles Sanders was taken with the 53rd overall selection, during the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. We’ll discuss the other 53rd-overall selection in a moment.

Here’s the point. Talented tailbacks can be found after the selection meeting’s first night. That has been proven constantly. Philly has found some gems, so they know that better than anyone.

The three names that top the list of the franchise’s career rushing leaders belong to players who were taken after Round 1. Let’s just say the Birds know what they are doing.

Teams should stay true to themselves when making important decisions. No one wants to burst the Bijan bubble. He is talented, but if Philadelphia were to take him at the tenth-overall selection, they would be abandoning a business model that they have constructed over more than three decades of football.

Grabbing a tailback in Round 2 better fits their mold. No one mind if they did so at the end of April. Let’s discuss four tailbacks who forever left their mark on this franchise. All were taken after Round 1. All left their mark in Eagles lore.