The Eagles have had their eyes on the 2019 NFL Draft for over a year. Their feeling that it was a strong class was one of the reasons they traded back from No. 32 overall.
On Thursday night the Eagles got their chance to dive into the talent pool of this year's draft class, and when the night was over, they emerged with Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard.
Dillard, 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, was not a player they expected to have a shot at.
"This is a guy that we had ranked as one of the top 10 players in the draft," Howie Roseman said. "Didn't anticipate the opportunity to go up and get him when the day started."
The Eagles did get that chance, however, moving from three spots to No. 22 overall to select him.
Was it the right move?
Here are some pros-and-cons for the Eagles' decision to spend their first-round pick on Dillard.
PROS:
Elite Prospect: Roseman's board wasn't much different from other scouts and draft analysts when it came to Dillard — he was indeed considered an elite prospect at offensive tackle. Dillard was on the field for 2,391 pass-blocking snaps in his college career and gave up just 49 total pressures. That is outstanding a sign of just how good he is already in pass protection. According to Sports Info Solutions, Dillard had just six blown blocks all of last season in 13 starts at left tackle and wasn't called for a single penalty outside of four false starts prior to the snap.
In a passing league, blocking the quarterback is obviously crucial. It is especially critical when your franchise quarterbacks is coming off of a torn ACL and has a fractured back. Dillard is an elite prospect when it comes to blocking the quarterback, and adding a tackle that can do that is never a bad thing.
Athletic: The Eagles have an excellent coaching staff and they will have plenty to work with in Dillard. Dillard is incredibly quick for a player his size, running his 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds. To put that in perspective, Lane Johnson can his 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds. Dillard had a quicker 20-yard shuffle — 4.4 seconds to 4.52 for Johnson — and just his three-cone drill was just 0.13 seconds slower.
Is Dillard as athletic as Johnson? Not quite. But it is pretty close, and together, the Eagles have one of the most athletic set of tackles in the NFL when Dillard does eventually start.
Could be a need: On the surface, this feels like a luxury pick. But as Joe Douglas said to the assembled media last week, one thing he learned in Baltimore is that a pick that looks like a luxury pick can quickly be used to fill a need in the NFL. Peters has obviously had trouble staying healthy, and with the duo of Vaitai/Mailata filled with questions, it could be that at one point this season the team will need help at left tackle — and having Dillard could end up being huge.
Youth at LT: The Eagles needed a youth movement in the worst way along the offensive line. Jason Peters is likely entering his final year with the Eagles. Jason Kelce contemplated retiring this offseason. An infusion of young blood was needed and adding Dillard does just that. The Eagles have used just one pick in the first two rounds on an offensive linemen since 2011, and that was when they took Johnson at No. 4. Outside of that, the picks dedicated to the offensive line have mostly been late rounds. Taking Dillard is a sign that the team is indeed committed to building from the lines out, and will do their best to make sure Wentz has an elite offensive line infront of him.
CONS:
Passing on defensive line: Roseman called this draft a potentially historic one along the defensive line, and it looks like he might be right, as 13 defensive linemen were taken in the first round. The fact the Eagles didn't take any of them is shocking. The team did try to move up from No. 25 overall, but weren't able to pull off a deal to go up for one of the elite defensive linemen. Even at No. 25, the team would have had a shot at either Montez Sweat of Mississippi State or Jerry Tillery of Notre Dame.
Offensive line was a need, but defensive line was arguably a bigger one, and a more immediate one. If everything goes to plan, Dillard won't play in 2019. That wouldn't have been the case for a defensive linemen, who could have contributed this season and still projected as a long-term starter. For as much as Roseman loves investing resources in the defensive line, it had to pain him to see so many elite prospects come off the board at the position. Time will tell if he'll regret not taking one at No. 25 or pulling the trigger on a move up the board.
Run blocking: As impressive as Dillard is as a pass blocker, he appears to have a way to go in the run game. Here is what head coach Doug Pederson had to say after the pick about Dillard's run blocking.
"You know, it's something that, again, as we get him in here and get him going, yeah, they did throw the ball a lot at Washington State, and that's a credit to what they did, and that's why he's a good pass protector," Pederson said. "We pride ourselves in running the ball here, and he's going to come in and learn, and that's the thing. It's why Jeff Stoutland is here."
According to Sports Info Solutions, Dillard blew a block in the run game on 1.12% his snaps last season — roughly triple what he did in the passing game (.44%). The Eagles' coaching staff will be tasked with improving Dillard in the run game.
Position versatility: The Eagles elected to go with Dillard over Cody Ford, who was still on the board. Ultimately the team should (and likely did) take the player that projects best as a tackle. It is the more valuable position and is arguably a bigger long-term need. Still, Dillard does not offer up much position versatility like Ford would have. Ford could have played guard until his time to slide out to tackle came. Dillard will likely be sitting on the bench until Jason Peters gets hurt or retires.
Jordan Mailata: The days of Jordan Mailata being the tackle of the future officially ended Thursday. Sure, Mailata might end up playing tackle for the Eagles, but if everything goes to plan, the Eagles' tackles for the next five years will be Dillard and Johnson. That means by design, Mailata won't be on the field at tackle for at least the next six years. Perhaps the Eagles decide to try Mailata at guard, but the selection of Dillard seems to be a pretty clear indication of just how far away the team feels Mailata is from being able to play.
2019: This pick is one for the future, which is what the NFL Draft is for. Still, for a team that could have used help in 2019 at a few spots — like defensive end, defensive tackle, safety, running back — this pick doesn't do much in terms of offering up immediate help. The Eagles didn't have a first-round pick last season, and their first draft pick — Dallas Goedert — was a minor contributor. It appears for the second straight year, the Eagles will go into the season not expecting to get anything from a first-round pick.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
