Eagles must place emphasis on coaching up their young stars this season

Remember the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles draft class? Those guys certainly got spoiled early didn't they? Right off the bat, they walked onto a roster that would win a Super Bowl. Yes friends, Donnell Pumphrey owns a Super Bowl ring by virtue of hanging out on the practice squad. There's just one problem. The NFL Draft has never been an exact science.

One by one, Pumphrey and the eight players taken during that year's selection meeting began trickling off the roster. The last of which, Derek Barnett, was waived on November 24, 2023.

Sometimes that happens. Philly has hit the bullseye at times during drafts that have followed. DeVonta Smith, Jalen Hurts, and Landon Dickerson come to mind. Philly has also struck out. Look no further than Jalen Reagor for evidence.

How is the young talent doing? How do we view them?

We like some of these new draftees. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean come to mind. The Birds seemed to do themselves a favor by drafting Jalen Carter, Sydney Brown, and Kelee Ringo in April of 2023. It's fun to analyze a roster filled with a healthy mix of star veterans and young up-and-comers with the potential to be great.

Howie Roseman has done his job. The Birds' coaching staff needs to step up now. It's up to them to help these prospects mature into contributors.

The challenge of helping young Eagles reach their potential falls squarely on the shoulders of Philly's coaching staff.

As mentioned earlier, the NFL Draft isn't an exact science. It's actually closer to being a crap shoot of sorts. You win some. You lose some. Thankfully, we have seen Philly win more as of late.

There is a nice young core to build upon. Proper coaching to help them develop will be key. That's the preferred path to success because continually signing talent to mask the inability to develop players can be expensive.

So, how is Philly doing on that front? We are thankful that you took the time to ask.

ESPN Plus recently released a ranking of every NFL team. It is comprised of their theory on how each franchise measures up in terms of its talent pool of players under the age of 25.

The Philadelphia Eagles, after ranking 13th in this same category last season, were slotted at 29 this time around with training camp on the horizon. DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and Reed Blankenship are all 25, so they weren't considered while making this list.

Aaron Schatz penned this one. His story sits behind a paywall. For that reason, we won't share direct quotes here, but here are some of the highlights:

• Philly's standouts are almost entirely on defense.
• Jalen Carter is mentioned as a blue-chip player.
• Jordan Davis hasn't quite lived up to his potential yet.

He also goes on to mention Eli Ricks, Ringo, Brown, Mitchell, and DeJean. The names look good on paper. Can they excel under the pressure that will soon be placed on them? Coaching will be key. Again, Howie Roseman has done his job here. It will be hard to blame him if this goes off the rails again.

Just in case you're curious, the only teams that finished behind the Eagles on ESPN's ranking were the New Orleans Saints (30), Las Vegas Raiders (31), and Miami Dolphins. The top ten were as follows:

1. Houston Texans
2. Detroit Lions
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Chicago Bears
6. Arizona Cardinals
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Los Angeles Rams
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Seattle Seahawks

Based on that list alone, two things come to mind. Philly needs to continue fostering a healthy balance of proven veterans and young stars in the making. Still, even with all of this being said, this is one of the more impressive NFC rosters.

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