NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah worked for Howie Roseman with the Eagles, so he knows Howie’s proclivities better than most.
So maybe it’s a shock, or maybe not, that even though he thinks Bijan Robinson is the third-best player in the 2023 Draft, Jeremiah doesn’t see the Birds drafting him if he makes it to No. 10.
“That would be a shocker,” Jeremiah told John Clark on his latest podcast for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
He’d love to see it happen, though, as he thinks only Bryce Young and Will Anderson are better players, and his pitch to Roseman would be “think like the Niners.”
“With running backs, I get it; that doesn’t work for everybody, but at this point in time, with where we are as a team, with where we happen to be picking courtesy of a trade, and what the construct of this draft is, I think it’s the right pick,” Jeremiah said as his pitch. “I could make a case that if you are the Eagles right now, there should only be one team that you’re concerned with in the NFC and that’s the 49ers, so you are building your team to compete with and beat the 49ers. Those are the two teams who are clearly the class of the NFC and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. And you would have your Christian McCaffrey to offset their Christian McCaffrey.
And, man, it would be fun.”
Robinson, a 4.46 speedster, rushed for more than 1,500 yards last year and can be a three-down back, which is why Jeremiah ranks him so high. The Eagles haven’t drafted a running back in the first round since Keith Byars in 1986, though, and of eight backs selected in Howie Roseman’s 13 years as GM, only Miles Sanders (second round in 2019) was selected on what is now Day 1 or Day 2.
Related
But man, if the Birds do pull the trigger?
“I don’t think it’s a huge opportunity cost, meaning I don’t think you’re not taking a Micah Parsons or a Rashawn Slater or Ja’Marr Chase or whoever else,” Jeremiah said. “I don’t think those options are there where they’re picking. I think there are good solid players. He’s an elite player. So every single one of his carries will matter. You will not waste any of his shelf life; even if you say he has a six-year shelf-life, that’s five years and a franchise tag and then you move on. This is their window. Their window is right now to win. So I think you maximize his entire career.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Keep up with 94WIP via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram