Debunking the ‘Eagles won’t draft a running back in Round 1’ theory
Should they? Shouldn’t they? The hour approaches. We’re less than a week from learning what the Philadelphia Eagles‘ decision will wind up being. The Bijan Robinson fan club grows among the Birds contingent and so do the numbers of loyal supporters that would rather see him ignored.
In other words, here’s where we are. Nothing has changed in terms of how Eagles fans communicate with one another.
If you’re looking for a microcosm of how discussions on this topic i.e. debate have unfolded, one would need only to hang out in the break room with other Birds fans at work or plug in the headphones and tune into Philly’s sports station, 94 WIP-FM.
Our favorite voices at one of our favorite stations are split just like the rest of us. The votes have been counted. Here’s where we are.
If our calculations are correct, Ike Reese, Mike Quick, Jon Ritchie, Jon Marks, Jack Fritz, Rhea Hughes, Eliot Shorr-Parks, Jon Johnson, Glen Macnow, and Kyle Quinn have all signed up for the ‘Bijan Train’.
Hugh Douglas, Joe DeCamara, Howard Eskin, James Seltzer, Tom Kelly, Mike Sielski, and Merrill Reese have all said no. ‘The King’, Howard Eskin says there’s a “less than zero percent chance” that the Eagles take a running back at ten, but with all due respect to a man who has covered the Birds for longer than many of us have lived, we’ll actually take another stance. This may not be out of the question.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury… We introduce Exhibit A into evidence.
Had the 2017 NFL Draft worked out as the Eagles would have liked, we may not be stating the idea of drafting a running back early is ridiculous.
It’s been a long couple of months. We’ve analyzed the 2023 draft class from every possible angle. We discussed the pros and cons of taking almost everyone in the pool. Heck, we even discussed the original Eagles/Texas running back dilemma with Ricky Williams, but there’s a flawed angle in some of the thinking.
Stating the Birds won’t take a running back that they’re high on simply because it’s early in Round 1 is erroneous. We rewind the tape to 2017. You guys are familiar with Christian Mccaffrey, aren’t you?
Heading into Carson Wentz’s second season as the starter, Howie Roseman was looking to surround Philly’s franchise signal-caller of the moment with reliable offensive weapons. One of the players he had his sights set on was a former Stanford star and son of a Super Bowl champion. Yes, that would be Mr. McCaffrey.
Philadelphia had every intention of taking Christian had he been available when they were on the clock. As you know, the plan didn’t work out. The Carolina Panthers ruined the party by taking him at the eighth overall selection. The Eagles wound up with Derek Barnett, but that didn’t stop Philly from trying to move on another tailback later.
One of the lesser-mentioned aspects of this story is, after missing out on McCaffrey, the Eagles set their sights on adding Dalvin Cook, but again, their plans were foiled, this time by the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikes snagged Cook at the 41st overall selection in Round 2. McCaffrey has gone on to stack just under 9,000 yards from scrimmage in his career and 60 total touchdowns. Cook has added more than 7,700 total yards and 52 trips to the end zone to his professional resume. Both have dealt with their share of injuries. Both are among the brightest stars at their position.
Sure, recent history would suggest there is some truth to our Round 1 theories and what the Birds might do or won’t, but stating that the Eagles have a rigid draft blueprint that can’t be altered is erroneous. The theory doesn’t paint a complete picture.
The Eagles were excited about Christian McCaffrey. They have shown interest in Bijan Robinson. For those who are interested, the Texas star shares an agent with Jalen Hurts, but the fact of the matter is none of this guarantees that the 2022 Unanimous All-American and Doak Walker Award winner will be the selection at ten.
The only option we have is to wait, but we won’t have to do so for much longer. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen compared Robinson to McCaffrey recently. How ironic is it that he connected those two? And, you wonder why the Birds are interested?
