Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has enjoyed a storied career progression to the pinnacle of his profession. Three Super Bowl appearances in the past decade, two Lombardi trophies, and just a ton of success overall have endeared him to the Philly faithful and cemented his status as one of the very best front office executives in professional sports.
But as someone who rose through the ranks from intern status in 2000 to the top front office executive for the two-time world champion Eagles, there were some massive first-round misfires along the way.
Recent drafts have ushered in elite talent to spark a pair of parades down Broad Street, but these five first-round selections from years gone past serve as a stark reminder that it wasn't always sunny in Philadelphia's war room under Roseman.
Worst Eagles first-round picks of Howie Roseman's GM career
Andre Dillard - OT (Pick 22, 2019)
Always a fan of targeting linemen early in the draft, Roseman honed in on the wrong one in the case of Dillard.
After starting four games as a rookie, he appeared destined for starting left tackle duties in Year 2, but a torn biceps suffered in training camp shelved him for the entire season.
Of course, perhaps the greatest draft weekend boon of the Roseman run, Jordan Mailata, would eventually seize the left tackle spot for Philadelphia, as Dillard earned only a handful of starts at both tackle spots before bouncing around for parts of six entirely unremarkable seasons in Tennessee, San Francisco, and Green Bay.
Marcus Smith - Edge (Pick 26, 2014)
It's not often that a first-round selection of any NFL franchise never starts a single game in his entire career, but Smith managed to achieve the infamous feat.
While Roseman has remained on a recent heater when it comes to landing playmakers in the trenches, this pick in 2014 was deemed an uninspiring reach by draft pundits at the time, and Smith's performance, or lack thereof, did nothing to quell the critics.
He would go on to register just 6.5 sacks over three seasons of uninspiring action for Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington.
Derek Barnett - Edge (Pick, 2017)
Yes, Barnett supplied the Birds with a massive fumble recovery via the Brandon Graham strip sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, but other than that, his time in Philadelphia wasn't only lackluster, it was maddening.
Barnett never lived up to the supreme pass rusher billing he had coming out of Tennessee, often drawing ridiculous flags while failing to consistently hunt quarterbacks. He mustered 21.5 sacks over seven seasons in Philadelphia and now serves as a rotational piece for the Texans' defense. He's managed to clean up the penalties and make a decent impact for Houston, but that doesn't change the fact that he underwhelmed while in Philadelphia.
Jalen Reagor - WR (Pick 21, 2020)
The infamous decision by Roseman to go with Reagor, with all-everything wideout Justin Jefferson was there for the taking, is impossible to live down. Roseman was enchanted by the home-run, deep-threat ability of the burner out of TCU, ignoring many who saw a Jefferson-to-Philly move as a no-brainer at the time.
Jefferson, of course, has lit the league ablaze for the past six seasons, while Reagor, who lasted just two years in Philly, is now struggling to stick on a roster.
Danny Watkins - OL (Pick 23, 2011)
It was absolutely mystifying back then, and there still remains no plausible explanation for it to this day. Watkins, whose passion for the game was in serious question from the jump, arrived in Philadelphia as a 26-year-old rookie with limited experience, a lackluster motor, and a love for firefighting.
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More power to him, and it's certainly a praiseworthy and brave line of work he quickly transitioned to. But drafting a guy who would start just 18 games over two woeful seasons remains the worst first-round pick of the Roseman era, bar none.
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