Eagles 2020 NFL Draft class receives higher marks in recent re-evaluation
They say hindsight is always seen in 20/20 vision. They’re right. To a man or woman, though we say we wouldn’t change anything, there probably isn’t anyone that wouldn’t re-write a part of their history if they could travel back in time or tap a reset button or two. We’d most certainly make sure the Philadelphia Eagles wound up with a second shot at their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVII.
It would be nice if we could pop up in a war room or two at all of those NFL Drafts. We’d surely give Howie Roseman and his team some intel on a couple of guys that they selected. Taking J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor certainly set the franchise back, but in some ways, things worked out. DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown probably aren’t here had Philly not done so.
Does that mean we should thank JJAW and Reagor, or would that be taking things too far? Well, regardless of what side you’re on in that argument, here’s some good news. Sometimes, things work out better than we all expect.
CBS Sports raises its final grade for the 2020 Eagles draft class.
Yeah, we all could have used some of that 20/20 vision in our lives, but here’s some good news. Looking back doesn’t always force us to acknowledge failure. Sometimes, looking back teaches us that things will often work out better than we thought.
Take the Eagles draft class that year. Ten Birds were added to the Eagles family that April. Check out some of these names. As rough as some of us were on the class, six guys are still on the current roster.
- Jalen Reagor
- Jalen Hurts
- Davion Taylor
- K’Von Wallace
- Jack Driscoll
- John Hightower
- Shaun Bradley
- Quez Watkins
- Prince Tega Wanogho
- Casey Toohill
During a recent re-grade, CBS Sports tried its hand at re-grading each NFL franchise’s draft classes. The Eagles’ original grade was a C+. That has been bumped up to a B+ in the re-evaluation. Here’s how Pete Prisco, the writer of this one defended his decision for making that call.
"This is one of those drafts where a team flops in the first round, but gets away with it because of a great pick in the second. The Eagles took receiver Jalen Reagor in the first. He didn’t pan out and is now with the Vikings. They could have drafted Justin Jefferson when they took Reagor, which makes it sting even more. They made amends in a big way by taking quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round. He’s now their starter and took them to a Super Bowl last year, earning a mega contract. That’s a great pick. Of the remaining eight picks, five are still with the team as backups heading into the 2023 season, although fourth-round safety K’Von Wallace has a chance to start."
Prisco goes on to state that the Eagles gained some depth, but they only added one major player. Sure, the Jalen Reagor selection will always be a sore spot, but when a team finds its franchise signal-caller, it’s hard to be stressed.
Gosh… 2020 was a long year, wasn’t it? A global pandemic rocked our world. Love was transformed, and affection meant that rather than give someone a hug and a kiss, we stayed away from them. Then, there was everything that transpired in the sports world.
March Madness was canceled. The NFL Draft was hosted virtually. The Eagles finished their 2020 season with a 4-11-1 record thanks, in part, to the fact that Carson Wentz, rather than regress, instead fell off of a cliff.
So, yeah… Looking back, our ride through 2020 won’t be one we mention when we talk about ‘the good old days’, but we grew, learned, and the groundwork was laid for a trip back up success’s ladder for our beloved Birds, so when you look at things from that lens, it’s hard to be stressed.