Eagles draft recap

Mike Renzulli '19, Sports Writer

This draft recap will grade each individual pick made by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL draft. Coming off a 7-9 season, how will this draft class propel the Eagles season? Let’s find out!

Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee: This is a good pick. It’s a relatively safe pick. It does not address the Eagles’ biggest need, which is at cornerback, and it also ignores a couple players who slipped down the board. The real positive is in pairing Barnett’s skill off the edge with Jim Schwartz’s scheme. Barnett can line up wide and worry about little else beyond penetrating into the backfield, which is exactly the type of role that should play to his strengths as a pass rusher. Brandon Graham, Chris Long and Barnett make for a talented DE trio from which Schwartz should be able to find a lot of sacks. GRADE: A-

Sidney Jones, CB, Washington: Sidney Jones’s Achilles injury would have made him a significant gamble in the first round. In Round 2, though, he’s a value. Remember, he was thought of as a potential top-10 pick before that setback at his pro day. He’s a tall, physical cornerback who can lock down on the outside. When he gets healthy again, the Eagles could have a star. GRADE: A

Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia: Definitely do not mind the Eagles doubling down on cornerback Friday night—it was a trouble spot on their depth chart, and Sidney Jones (their Round 2 pick) likely won’t be available until at least October. Douglas doesn’t have a ton of speed, but he has size, length and a knack for getting in front of receivers. ​ GRADE: A–

Mack Hollins– Hollins presents great value as a broken collarbone made him fall all the way down to the 4th round. Revered as a special teams ace, the Eagles absolutely needed a special teams specialist added to their unit, as they yielded the 4th most return yards last season. Hollins also has the potential to be a solid receiver as well, as he presents a huge frame and tremendous speed. Many analysts have him compared to Vincent Jackson, as Hollins could carve out a career in special teams and as a redzone threat.  Grade: B-

Donnel Pumphrey– The heir to Darren sproles throne. This is a tremendous value pick, as scooping pumphrey in the 4th round was a genius pick. Pumphrey holds the all-time most rushing yards in NCAA history, as he amassed 6,405 rushing yards. Pumphrey is the perfect third down running back, as he is a tremendous threat in the passing game  as he possess huge open field speed. Adding another weapon to complement Wentz and the passing game was a very shrewd idea from the Eagles. Grade: A

Shelton Gibson: Gibson was a solid playmaker for WVU, as he was always commended for making catches in traffic for the Mountaineers. While he doesn’t have game changing athleticism, Gibson will be a solid depth piece to add to a very crowded Eagles receiving corps. Gibson is eerily like a guy of Malcolm Mitchell, who made a numerous amount of big plays this year during the Patriots Super Bowl Run. Grade: B-

 

Overall Draft Grade: A-

 In my opinion, the Eagles have nailed this draft class this year. The first three picks will immediately make a positive impact on the defense,  as Barnett will be a deadly weapon in the front seven, while Jones has the potential to become a lockdown corner. Douglas will see tremendous playing time as he can carve out a role as a slot corner. Pumphrey will be sparingly used, however, expect him to make the plays he’s used on count. He’ll make some huge plays during the season. Gibson will use this season as a development year, as he won’t see much snaps with Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agolohor in front of him. Mack Hollins will be an immediate contributor on special teams, and quite possibly, in the redzone as the Eagles will look to utilize his 6’5 frame.