9 Eagles who must join Philadelphia's next batch of superstars

Every draft choice or free-agent signing represents a gamble, but the Eagles need the guys on this list to join their next batch of superstars.

You have heard this one million times during your lives, especially when discussing the Philadelphia Eagles' roster. The NFL Draft is often viewed as a crap shoot. The same can be said about any acquisition of a veteran free agent or an undrafted rookie.

The Eagles fell short of winning Super Bowl LVII and hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second time in franchise history. The hope is they will return and seal the deal this season, but it won't be easy.

The roster is the backbone of every great team, and Philly has a good one. To become extraordinary, many of their young stars will have to take steps forward and become key fixtures in a solid young core. Look no further than the new 'quarterback on defense'.

Nakobe Dean, linebacker

It's Nakobe Dean's time to shine. We have debated his potential. We have discussed the roster around him. The only thing left for him to do is to follow Jalen Hurts' example and prove the doubters wrong. If he does and the Birds find their middle linebacker of the future, we could be talking about him even more so than we discussed T.J. Edwards' brilliance last season.

Philadelphia needs him to be one of the Birds' next batch of superstars. They'll need the same from the other guys on this list as well. We begin with a couple of other defensive prospects.