Grading every Eagles first-round pick of the Nick Sirianni era

Three days... Seven rounds... 257 selections and a ton of fanfare for 'Mr. Irrelevant', the last player taken... It's great being a football fan, isn't it? The NFL Draft brings more people to a television set than some baseball and basketball games. This year will be no different. Currently, the Philadelphia Eagles own eight picks.

Detroit's Hart Plaza at Campus Martius Park will provide the backdrop. The Motor City was chosen over Washington and Green Bay as the host city on March 28, 2022. Before we arrive and Commissioner Roger Goodell announces the draft is underway and the Chicago Bears are on the clock, let's look back on the past three,

Philly certainly has added some talent, haven't they?

Here are grades for every first-round selection of the Nick Sirianni era.

As was the case with his predecessor, Doug Pederson, when hired, Nick Sirianni was viewed as being one of the worst hires of the offseason cycle. Like Doug, Nick led the Birds to the Super Bowl during his second season at the helm.

Unlike Doug, Nick's regime didn't get the result we all wanted, but he has enjoyed a productive coaching tenure despite enduring a few hiccups here and there. The Eagles have earned playoff berths in each of his first three seasons.

Much of that is attributable to great rosters and solid drafting. We'll still waiting for a few guys to pop though.

How are those first rounders of the Sirianni era doing? We're glad you asked. Here's a look and a few grades worth mentioning.

DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Alabama (2021)

DeVonta Smith is one of the best young wideouts in the game. Place a period at the end of that sentence. Seriously, what else needs to be said?

Three seasons in, he's been the victim of at least two Pro Bowl snubs. Still, his new extension is well-deserved (and proof the Birds want him in Philly).

GRADE: A+

Jordan Davis, defensive tackle, Georgia (2022)

And, just like that, we have reached year three of Jordan Davis' NFL career. We're still waiting for him to become the dominant player Philly hoped he'd be when they invested the 13th overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft into his selection.

Let's see that pretty much sums things up, right?

An A+ means someone has done superior work. A B means they have done work seen as being 'above average. Ds are given to below-average performances. Davis hasn't been as bad as that, so we'll give him the 'average' title for now with the hope he will improve.

GRADE: C

Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia (2023)

Let's hope we see that jump in year two. That's all we're saying. It's hard to evaluate Nolan Smith's first run in Philly primarily because Philly didn't ask him to do much except play on special teams. Playing behind Haason Reddick led to what equated to a redshirt, but when Matt Patricia took over as the defensive play-caller, we saw Smith's defensive snaps increase.

Here's what's concerning though. We didn't see much more when Smith saw his playing time increase. We haven't given up. You shouldn't either. We feel he'll be fine, but we are clearly off to a tough start.

GRADE: D

Jalen Carter, defensive tackle, Georgia (2023)

During his first NFL season, Jalen Carter proved worthy of the ninth selection the Eagles used to draft him. We saw him block a field goal versus the Buffalo Bills on special teams. He scored a defensive TD versus the Dallas Cowboys. He made game-changing plays and almost pulled off an interception during an intentional spike.

For his efforts, he earned a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team. It's hard to forget he hit that rookie wall and cooled down the stretch though.

GRADE: A-

2024 - TBD

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